Kates Story
by kathryn oaken
Summary: About a girl and her Abra friend. Trying to make it better in the world, find her best place in it and what it means to be a Pocket Monster Trainer. Mature Themes, Violence and Mild Language.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Kate looked around the corner. Her blond bangs too short to get in the way. Lab assistants were still wheeling down the hallway. She ghosted behind them, playing hide and seek with them whether they knew it or not.

She knew a few of the Rattata-warren hallways in the station. She was almost old enough to go to school, but until then she would slip out of the playroom and explore. There were lots of lab technicians to hide from. Kate was so small, she could go unnoticed for a while until the daycare knew she was missing from the playroom and go looking for her.

But until then, she could get away from the others and play with the grown-ups. Whether they knew it or not.

It was getting close to the time she might be found again. But she was not done with the grown-ups.

That's when one of them checked their arm and shouted about the time. They both started pushing harder on the cart and went careening around the next corner. Barely stopping the cart from tipping but not from losing a few toy balls.

The woman and man grown-up stopped and quickly picked-up the toys they could see before going off out of sight.

Kate stayed behind, watching the one they had missed. It was still there and the grown-ups were gone. Before she was caught, she slipped the red-and-white toy ball into her pocket. It was small for a ball, about the size of her fist. She turned around, almost instantly forgetting about the ball, and got ready to start playing with the daycare lady.

Kate went to bed that night. Her father working on some papers after dinner. He had come later, as usual, so he had been eating long after Kate had been made to eat some of her vegetables.

On her dresser was the contents of her pockets, turned-out by the laundry-lady when she changed out of her daycare clothes earlier. This was the first time in several hours that she had seen the red and white ball that she had found earlier. It had gone forgotten in the daycare, in her pocket, until now.

She picked it up and took it to bed, hoping her father would tuck her in and not forget tonight. She held the toy in her hand, looking at the tight line between red and white. Turning it she found a little button like the one on her father's cell phone. It only stuck out a tiny bit and it was not easy for her little-barely-four-years-old finger to push.

The toy ball doubled in size in her hand and Kate dropped it onto her chest in surprise. The much larger ball kept falling, fell off the bed, bounced and rolled onto the middle of the floor. Kate stepped out of bed and forgot her slippers trying to get it back. She saw the lights under her bedroom door turn out as her father was getting ready for bed himself.

Scooping-up the magic-ball she immediately pushed the button, which had also increased in size, to shrink the ball again. But instead of shrinking, it blew open, lit-up the room and the light got bigger until it was a bit bigger than Kate and turned into a monster with weird armour, a triangular face, claws, and a tail with a thin ring around it.

Kate liked monsters though, the ones hiding under her bed protected her from the boogey-man in her closet. But she could hear her father somewhere else in the apartment, calling something.

"Quick! Hide!" She whispered to the monster.

It's angular eyes stayed closed and it cocked it's head, quizzically.

"Go!" she could hear her father heading for her door.

The monster seemed to turn it's head, as if looking around and disappeared with a zap-noise.

Kate took the hollow-open ball and shoved it under her pillow as the doorknob on her door turned.

"Kate, what was that?" Her father came in wearing a bathrobe over his pyjamas, looking tired.

"What was what father?"

He looked around the room, "Never mind Katie. Let's get you to bed."

Kate yawned, forgetting to correct the name.

Her father held-up her blankets for her and let Kate get into bed.

Kate let her father tuck her in and let her head press down on the pillow to hide the monster-toy she had found.

"Let me fluff the pillow for you, I-" Her father pulled on the pillow and the toy fell-out onto the floor. He stopped

and held the pillow in his hand, "where… where did you get that?"

Kate looked at him, "I found it." When her father said nothing, she went on quickly, "there were somany! One-

dropped, tookithome. Ibrokeit father! Itopenedandamonstercame out and Idon'tknowhowtofixthetoy"

Her father stopped her before she went on, "You didn't break it, Kate." He picked-up the open and hollow 'toy.' "There is a lot here, what's one less?"

"What do you mean father?"

He looked at the empty 'toy' and then at Kate, "where is the 'monster' now Kate?"

She looked around, "I don't know. I told her to hide and she disappeared." She furrowed her forehead, thinking about where it could have disappeared to. Or maybe it ran away and would never come back. "I don't know…"

"Well, we're going to have to find it and put it back in-"

"Nooo! I want her to live under my bed with the other monsters, father! I don't want her to go!"

"No, not back where it came from, back in here," He pointed into the ball as he snapped it shut. "I'll make sure you can keep it. But you won't be able to take it to preschool, or school Kate. The ball will have to stay here, but you can keep it."

Kate took the ball back from her father, "it's little again, did you put her back in there?"

He shook his head, "no, but we're going to have to find it before you can keep it."

Kate wanted to keep the monster as much as she could. She wondered about all those other balls that other monsters could be in. And she could keep this one, keep it from wherever the others were going. They must have been headed to others who could have monsters of their own, but she had this one first.

That zapping noise filled the room again, and the monster appeared. Right when she wanted her too.

Her father did not flinch at the noise, or the sight, of it appearing, "Now, put it away by pointing the ball at it and pressing the button."

Kate looked at the ball in her hand, "But if I cant take her to daycare, then I don't want to put him in his home yet. Tuck us both in!" she smiled.

Her father looked between Kate and the creature. "well, if it's yours now, then why not?" He got an extra pillow from the closet and set up a space for the creature at the other end of the bed that Kate was still growing into. "But we will have to talk about this in the morning. There are things you should know before keeping it for yourself."

"Okay father. Good night."

"Good night Katie."

Kate was asleep before she could correct him.

Her father turned out the lights before leaving for the night. The pocket monster had settled easily into the foot of Kate's bed. The fox-like head appeared to have closed eyes all the time, he was familiar with the breed. But he felt like the pocket monster was watching him from the bed the whole time. In the darkness it could have been asleep as well, but he still had the feeling of being watched.

He left the bedroom to collate his presentation before going to bed himself. Hopefully he would get a full night's rest before being contacted about some report or experiment in the night.

She rocked the cradle gently, her daughter had woken-up in the night. It was not surprising with her being less than 3 months old. But still tiring.

Her husband came-up behind her, "Anything I can help with, Leah?"

"It's little Rina, she's crying again."

He leaned over the cradle for a moment, "She's just scared, Leah, it's a big world with a lot to be frightened of."

Leah frowned, Thomas was being mysterious again. "How do I stop our baby from crying for a fear of something that I don't even know what it is?"

Thomas picked-up their daughter and took him into his arms. Rina fell asleep almost right away.

"How do you do it Tom? It you didn't need the sleep I'd ask for you to dot his every night."

He smile a bit, then went back to his usual stoic frown. "I was awake for the same reason Rina was, Things are changing. World's changing. But if I'm not going to lose sleep over it tonight, then neither is Rina. Come back to bed with me Leah. Let's not give Rina anything more to worry about tonight."

Kate woke-up that morning with her monster beside her in bed. She was glad. She had dreamed of flying and zapping around the world. It was a big place and now she had her monster to enjoy it with her. Today was going to be a good day, even without spending it all with her. She picked up the little ball that had been her home and put it back down on the dresser.

"This is your home now, not that thing. Just go to wherever my father says is okay. Okay?"

She stretched and yawned from the bed and nodded. Picking-up on Kate's cues right away. Today was going to be a very good day.

-End of Prologue

**Chapter 1**

Henry looked over the days results. Things had gone well until one of the technicians had grown an attachment to the experiments. He had always kept a distance from his experiments, it helped keep the experiments untainted by opinion and kept progress up. He knew it was because of the late-in-life exposure he had had to the pocket monsters growing up. He noticed that the best scientists and his best colleagues, had not had constant exposure to the creatures until late in adolescence or even after they came of age. There was no avoiding the things, but those he respected most in his field had never trained, raised or grew-up around them.

His charge, Katherine was an exception. Even though he was her guardian, her little smile had won him over from the beginning, he had found it hard not to keep her happy as she went on. He could keep his distance from his research, but he could not say no to her keeping one for herself. It had not been hard to arrange her to keep it, even though it was freshly bred like the others for the investment department. He was the head of his team and one of the bosses best teams, so it was a simple enough request for her to keep it. He could not bring himself to take it away from Kate, but he knew from the beginning of raising her that she would not become a scientist. She was not going to be trained as one and had never shown the right mindset for it anyway. He was just there to raise her until she went out into the world and was old enough to inherit her family's responsibilities. It would not make it easy for her later, scientist or not, to grow-up with a pocket monster. But he had been in the habit of not saying no to her and that had not changed.

He did not give much thought to the time she spent with the creature, she never spent any time apart when she was out of daycare and preschool. Kate slept a lot just like the monster did. She was drowsy in school and was teased for it. So she holed herself out in their apartment, only spending time with one or two other children. She never complained about being apart from it. In fact she stopped trying to escape from the workers after she had found the pocket monster. But she slept too much and took too much after the monster. It was odd that whenever they played she barely talked at all. She did if he or visitors spoke to her, but after dinner he would only hear them moving around in the apartment if they weren't asleep.

It was hard not to like Kate. Her father had looked in on things over the last few years, but Henry did not think that he had been around her long enough for her natural charm to win him over. She had even won over her other caregivers when she was very young. Normally a panic would ensue from a child being lost in the building, but for Kate it had been a game of hide and seek, which the day care and preschool teachers started playing with her. But her biological father was merely an onlooker, Henry felt that he just needed to spend time with her. But it was hard enough for Henry to make time with his boss, the man never really tried to make time for Kate and he would regret it when she was older.

Her mother was missing everything though. She had died not long after Kate was born and her father had felt to not let there be a female guardian as well. Henry did what he could, but she would get "the talk" about her family and his own role when she was old enough. At least he did not have to lie about her mother being dead. He knew that would have done a lot of damage. He would have lied if asked, but he was glad he did not have too.

Henry looked back at the screen, realizing that he had read nothing while letting his mind wander. Kate could be distracting when he did not step back, though he tried to only step back when he was not around her. Things were better that way. It kept her happy and that's all Henry really wanted.

Kate looked around her new-old bedroom and her new bed. She had moved here from her father's research station right after kindergarten ended. Her father told her that the resources of the station were being re-organized and all the kids have to move away. A few of them were in and around Viridian city. She did not miss them or the majority that had moved on to further towns. Josh was the only one she liked talking to and he was going to the same school she was.

Her father had even gotten an office job in the city as well. Her and her monster Abbie, as she liked Kate to call her, enjoyed the wide-open spaces of the town and around it compared to the isolated research station that Kate and Abbie had been at when she was younger.

This was the last month before she started middle school. Her and Josh were going to the same school again. There was a picture of them together last summer. The last traces of yellow gone, her hair was just a little lighter than her father's now. His looked black when it was dark, it was just dark brown and so was hers.

Josh was the little red-headed kid in her preschool, when they moved to the same city, he father arranged play-dates until they started lower school when they started asking each other over to play.

Kate found that she got along a little better with the lower school classmates than in daycare and preschool. The classes were much bigger too. But there were more that tried to tease her and a lot of the others seemed only interested in her because she was new. Josh wasn't as mean, did not tease any more than anyone else in preschool. But now that she was nearly a teenager, Josh had gotten much better over the last few years. Even after the blow-up in lower school when his parents would not let him raise a pocket monster. She slept less and was less drowsy for it but was still made fun of by others.

She was not a trainer yet, but her and Abbie were practically inseparable outside of school. They could both predict what the other was feeling and when they got close together. Hide and seek turned into races, trying to get to the next hiding spot before the other could get there.

It was so different with the other kids. They did not understand Kate enough and she understood them too well. It was hard to try and be friends with someone when it felt like they were thinking mean things about her. Games were different. She could find them in hide and seek but they could not find her. Anything that needed a blindfold she was excluded from because they thought she was cheating. She never peeked, but Kate sometimes found it easier to have her eyes closed and covered.

By the end of the 4th grade, no one would play with her other than Abbie, when Abbie was not sleeping, or Josh and that was out of school.

She did not remember it being like this at the station. Sure some of them teased her, but they teased everyone and she had more fun at school than at home. She did not remember being left alone like this. She had always had someone to play with. And the longer it went on, the more she did not like being around them.

Next month she would be going across town to Josh's school. It should be better. She was almost twelve and her father wanted her to at least finish the next year of school before officially training with pocket monsters. After that he said he would discuss with her her options of school, high school and her future with Abbie and other pocket monsters.

She really looked around her bedroom this time. Plain walls covered with photos and drawings of her, Abbie and Josh and the things she had seen with them. Her dresser was covered with little trinkets from the tourist vendors. A lot of trainers passed though Viridian and she had picked-up several pieces of different pocket monsters. She had a few on a shelf over her bed of the ones she wanted to see, like in her dreams. But her dresser was covered with many others that she just had to get. She wanted to get 'em all, but her allowance would not let her.

Her clothes were pretty straight forward, playing outdoors, roughing it outdoors, nice for guests and her school uniforms.

She had a uniform set hanging on the door, grey with a green stripe, reminding her of a new school and a fresh start.

Abbie was outside in the back yard. Probably scaring off the Pidgey again. Abbie liked the tree since she had a good view of the house from the branches. Kate was reassured by Abbie being close, but she liked to look out the window and see Abbie. Yellow and brown, when the leaves turned yellow and orange Abbie would blend better after school started.

Kate could feel Abbie's eyes on her, even when it looked like Abbie's eyes were closed, which was all the time. Abbie was a silly name, but a lot of trainers had silly names for pocket monsters. Abbie did not mind, she knew when Kate meant her, it was more something other people could know and recognize.

_Dad's still out, I want to go find Josh_, she thought. Getting up she looked out the window and did not see Abbie or a nest of Pidgeys. She grabbed her pack and heard the familiar zap of Abbie appearing nearby.

"Let's go. I have my keys." Kate headed for the door but was stopped by Abbie touching Kate's arm. "What is it?"

Abbie stood there, looking at the phone.

Kate saw the notepad next to the phone, "Right, dad should know." Kate scribbled a note for her Dad that she was going to see Josh, berating herself for forgetting. Off they went.

She was not far from the abandoned Pocket Monster Gym. Boarded up and empty since her and her father had moved there. She saw a new sign attached to the front. Some sort-of zoning-babble for "we have gotten approval to renovate." Her and Abbie walked by, otherwise ignoring the building.

"Hey! Let's Battle!" some other kid with pocket-balls challenged her.

Abbie turned her nose up at the boy and Kate followed suit. Abbie never really fought, not even the Pidgey in their tree. She more startled the monster by zapping into the tree and scared the Pidgeys away. Kate did not think Abbie was afraid of fighting, Abbie was still in the "ineffectual flailing" stage of fighting and Kate was not going to push the issue.

"Coward!"

Kate ignored him, other kids had said worse things. She and Abbie headed off to Josh's.

Other trainers were less pushy but still a little obsessive of pitting their monsters against others. Especially her. She still had the pocket ball Abbie had been found in, she liked it near. But Abbie was almost never in it. Especially when she was out from school. So she walked all over with Abbie around all the time. A few trainers did too, but that made her look like a trainer and would get asked all the time about it. When her lower school classmates found out about Abbie, they were jealous until they found out about her not being a trainer. So they teased her that she could not fight. Abbie would not fight, Kate did not make her, but that made the teasing worse.

"We're almost there, c'mon Abbie." Kate started walking faster to get through the trainers to Josh's house. She looked to the south and headed eastwards downtown.

Abbie looked south as well before following Kate down the street.

Once the two of them got into another borough of houses, the trainers were less. Out-of-town ones anyway. Like a lot of the residential areas, there were more trees on the sidewalk than on the main streets. Making a canopy that could hide bird pocket monsters.

There was a zap and then an explosion of birds above and ahead of Kate. She laughed as Abbie startled a whole flock of birds.

"Abbie! Do you really need to keep in practice around here?" Kate did not need an answer, she knew Abbie heard her. Which was followed with another zap of Abbie's teleport as she re-appeared near Kate.

"My car! Damn Trainers!" some guy yelled from his yard where the Pidgeys had flown-over and 'decorated' his hood and windshield with their droppings.

"Quick!" Kate took off, Abbie ran with her. The man's yells followed them, but he did not, and they made an easy getaway. "Josh's this way!" They rounded the corner and slowed-down to a walk as they got to the home stretch.

There was his mother, gardening in the front yard. Kate leaned against a tree when her head started pounding.

"Hi Kate," Mrs. Mills leaned back to get a good look at Kate, "You're a little late."

Kate stood straight when her head started hurting, "Late? But I just decided to come?"

"Josh is over at the Professor's. You just missed him."

Kate looked crestfallen, "Professors? But his dad said-"

Mrs. Mills stood up as she dusted off her pants, "We had a long talk about that. Didn't he call you?"

"No," Abbie caught her instead of the tree this time. Her head was pounding.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Mills started heading over. She looked concerned.

"Ye-yeah. Abbie, lets go home." Kate gripped Abbie's hands as they zapped away home.

Kate couldn't stand when she appeared in her room. After the headache and the vertigo from teleporting, she sicked-up on her carpet. On her knees, she did not get any of the stuff on her clothes. Out went her lunch, which she ate before having the noon-nap with Abbie earlier. There was not anything that might have resembled what she had for breakfast. It had probably been too long.

She gave herself a minute while Abbie rested. She slept all night with Kate and half the day, usually the school half. But after taking Kate with her on the teleport, she would need a nap.

All Kate needed was her head to stop hurting. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned against her dresser, still kneeling on the floor. After a minute, that felt like much longer, she stood slowly and started scooping the stuff on the carpet into the toilet before cleaning the wet spot. Once it seemed like the spot on the carpet was only water, she leaned against the bed on the floor. Her head was not any better, but it was not getting any worse.

After a time of the quiet, she heard the door downstairs open. Her father was with someone. She wondered of her knew where some painkillers were. She was not thinking straight, but she did not know this or to look for medicine sooner.

Kate made her way to the stairs, her father was moving around downstairs.

"The living room is on this side, the kitchen is in the back this way..." His voice trailed off into the back of the house, under her bedroom and behind the stairs.

Kate went down the stairs one at a time, she could not make-out any details. Just stairs, floor and wall. "Dad?"

Whoever it was in the back, they stopped talking.

"Dad?" She wiped her nose before taking the last step.

"Kate? We're in here." His voice sounded further away than the kitchen.

"Dad? I'm out here." She practically had to shout to hear herself. Her ears sounded full of water.

"Katherine, what's wrong?" A dark blur, her father was not in his lab coat, came out of the dining room. It was probably her father.

"Dad?" _Where the hell is he? _Her head was hammering, she needed to wipe her nose again. Her eyes were shut from the pain so she did not see the woman come in from behind her father. All she could hear was the water in her ears. All she could feel was the pain in her head and her anger in being left alone. She did not even feel her father and Abbie stopping her from hitting the floor.

All there was was the darkness, her pain and her anger. She had never given a second thought to where the anger had come from and she could not now that everything was gone.

-End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2  Wake Up

**Chapter 2**

Darkness, and her. But she was in the darkness now. The oblivion was gone. Unless this was Oblivion. But the more she thought about it,. The more clear it was.

She was Kate and it did not hurt anymore. She was alone, to a point, but she was here and she was herself.

Faraway, she felt something, saw something. In the far distance was a red star, a sun? Bright and full of anger. It was so far. But it was so bright. So angry.

No. Stay.

Kate stopped, her arm was held by a hand, a familiar hand. "Abbie?"

Stay here, With me.

"Abbie, what kind of dream is this?" It was enough to turn away from the red light, towards Abbie. The red was forgotten.

You should be sleeping. Like that one. In a different direction than the forgotten red light, there was a purple one. Muted and tiny but just as far away.

Kate wanted to get a closer look.

No, stay here.

Kate looked around. There were other lights too, but they were dim like the afterimage of a light on your eye. They disappeared when she looked straight at them.

You have to go, Kate.

Kate looked at Abbie, how was she speaking?

Like I always have. You can too, but you need to sleep. You're hurt.

"Abbie, you heard me?"

Abbie nodded. Then looked over Kate's shoulder. Quickly, you have to go.

"But you said stay. Abbie?"

Sleep. It is coming.

"What's coming? Abbie I don't want to go back to the oblivion. Abbie." She turned to where Abbie was looking. The Red sun was muted now, but it was moving. Towards her. She tried to look away to Abbie. But she couldn't. "Abbie?"

Kate, here. Abbie pulled Kate to face each other.

Kate could see Abbie's eyes crack open. She could not remember the last time Abbie's eyes were open and did not think she would see them in a dream. "What is it?"

Sleep. Please. Abbie seemed to be humming or something like it.

The darkness settled over Kate like a blanket. She could hear the humming as everything disappeared again and the darkness swallowed her whole.

Kate found herself staring at a beige painted wall from a soft bed. Something was beeping beside her. She yawned. "Abbie?"

Silence, she must not have been dreaming, a comment like that would have brought Abbie straightaway. What she could remember from her dream was something with water. Some sort-of nightmare of drowning in water that was boiling over a red fire. It was confusing to think of. Kate tried to not think of it. She did not like remembering nightmare-dreams.

"Dad?" she looked around. She was in a hospital bed with a tiny window. No one was there. No flowers or cards. She thought it was the next day. She hoped it was, it was definitely late in the afternoon. Her left hand itched, she tried to scratch it but found a tube going into the back of her hand. She stopped her hand from touching it and tried not to think of the tube running into her hand. It seemed to work.

The door opened and some man pocked his head in. He did not look like a nurse. The uniform was more like security. The man closed the door and left Kate alone before she could get a good look at him.

"Hello?" Nothing. "HEY!"

Still nothing. Kate shook her head. _Alone again_, she thought. She hoped Abbie had not been stuck in a pocket ball while Kate was here. Looking around next to the bed. There was a table with a cup.

"Empty, go figure." She did not let herself get frustrated. She patted her head, there were no bandages there. Her head did not hurt anymore. That was an improvement.

The door banged open and a woman in a slept-in blouse and slacks, "Katherine?" She invited herself inside and closed the door. "You're awake, that's so good!" dark blond hair down to her shoulders, it looked like it needed brushing. Here eyes were bright, whatever the colour. They seemed to go right through Kate.

Kate was bewildered that a stranger would just come in like that, "And you are?"

The strange woman was stopped from answering by a nurse coming in the door, in drab turquoise scrubs, "You're awake!" The nurse checked the machine that was still beeping, the iv bag that ran to Kate's hand. "That's good. Okay, look at me," She fished a little flashlight out of her pocket. "Follow the light."

Kate blinked at the light in her eyes, but seemed to appease the nurse by following the light.

"I'll let the doctor know you're awake," the female nurse turned to the stranger, "You are?"

"Her guardian, until her father returns."

The woman's smile did not seem genuine to Kate. The nurse seemed, nice enough, but tired. Alone among strangers, she wished Abbie was here. Abbie was always there when she woke-up.

"Okay, I'll just send the doctor in when he's ready to see Katherine Beven."

"Kate," Kate corrected the nurse. "Nurse?"

"Yes Kate?"

"How long have I been here?"

"The nurse checked Kate's chart at the foot of her bed, "You were admitted a week ago. Looks like."

A week, I've been asleep a week.

The nurse looked between the other two occupants in the room, "Well, I'll be making my rounds in the meantime." the nurse left as quickly as she has come and left Kate alone with her 'guardian.'

Kate looked at the stranger. "Let me try again, who are you? And why isn't my father here?"

She curtsied a bit, "My name is Hilda Rudner. Your father was going to hire me as a stay-at-home maid for the house. But as you were being admitted to the hospital, he was called to work in some sort-of crisis. So he made sure that the hospital would let me watch you until eh returned."

"You're the maid and now you're my legal guardian? He doesn't even know you." Kate was getting more bewildered. _I don't know you._

"Not really, and yes he does." She smiled at Kate.

That grin did not seem to go to Hilda's eyes and she did not seem to be telling Kate everything, "How does he know you?"

"I was an assistant at his work that was downsized recently. I've seen him around the lab for a long time. He was just giving me something to do."

"Funny, he never mentioned you before."

"He does not seem the type to take his work home with him."

Kate decided to sit on those answers for now. The much more briefly-seen nurse seemed more trustworthy right now. Then Kate realized something, something that should have been obvious and thought-of sooner.

"Where's Abbie? Is she around?"

"Your pocket monster is at home. You need the rest."

Kate looked out the window, all she saw was sky. It would not matter anyway. There was too much distance and too many trees to see her house from the nearest hospital anyway. She tried a different question, "What was so important that Dad could not wait for me here?"

Hilda shrugged, "I don't know. But it must have been important if he could not stay more than a day or so before leaving. I can give his office a call for you to tell him you're awake. I'm sure he'll call as soon as he can."

"Yes, thank you," _I guess_. Kate relaxed some. Missing her father, especially Abbie. She remembered being upset about Josh before losing it. "have I had nay visitors so far?"

"No. Your Abra followed along. But I put it in it's ball before it got in the way. You gave anyone a scare there."

"Mm-hmm." Kate was looking out the window. No Josh, no father and Hilda 'put away' Abbie. She was actually glad that she had slept the whole week away. Her head was not hurting anymore, she hoped that she could leave soon and rejoin with Abbie before school started. A week. Why no visitors?

Kate spent the next two days talking to doctors and getting scans in addition to ones done while she was out cold. They kept asking her is she had banged her head. Hilda did not know she had only just met Kate. But there were no explanations or bruising on her brain.

Kate was frustrated by being followed around in the hospital by a stranger, with no visits from Abbie, her father, Josh or anyone. She never saw that security guy again, but Hilda was there. She was glad they let her out so soon after waking up.

Kate was driven home in Hilda's car, she went right in to where Hilda said she had put Abbie's pocket ball. Hilda shouted behind her about 'taking things too quickly' but was ignored while Abbie was taken out.

She stretched and yawned, facing up to Kate. Abbie's eyes were shut so much it more seemed like she was looking at Kate than actually peering at her.

"Abbie!" Kate hugged the pocket monster before heading upstairs to her room. Followed by a zap while Abbie teleported up after Kate without taking the stairs. Kate did not blame her, this last week (nearly ten days) was the longest time she could remember Abbie being inside the ball for so long.

Hilda had already said that she was bringing in the bags and the groceries while Kate rested, Kate had no problem with that.

"Abbie, I missed you," Kate watched Abbie while Abbie watched the tree from the bedroom window.

"I missed being out."

"What? Who?..." Kate looked around for the speaker. They did not sound like words said in a way she had heard before. That did not make any sense to Kate either.

You can hear me? Abbie stopped watching the Pidgey and looked at Kate.

Kate realized the words were more felt than heard, "Abbie? You're Talking."

Abbie hopped on the bed, across from Kate, You can hear me.

"Yeah, but you sound surprised."

You've never heard me before, how was your sleep?

"It was a week. But I just got back now. How long before Hilda put you in the pocket ball?"

The third day. I was at the window watching your friend watch me. I was distracted so She could put me away easily.

"Wait, watching who?"

There was a muffled, "Kate, get-off the phone and come downstairs for dinner."

Kate shouted back, "Yeah, sure." She picked up and hung-up her phone loudly before whispering to Abbie, "Who were you watching?"

Your friend. He had a pocket monster with him. Why are you talking like that when you can talk to me like me.

When Abbie said 'your friend' Kate almost saw an image of Josh below the window, with a Bulbasaur pocket monster.

_Why was he outside the window?_ Kate leaned towards Abbie and continued whispering, "What do you mean 'talk like you'? People don't talk like that."

But you do. Your people do it all the time, but they only hear what comes out of their mouths.

"How do I talk like you then?"

Abbie seemed surprised at Kate, You always have. Why do you ask so many questions that already have answers?

Kate looked at Abbie, "I always have? When?"

All the time. But I found out that you could not hear me. So I tried to be helpful. We can hear you but you do not hear or understand us. It is frustrating.

There was a strong impression on the 'we.' Like Abbie meant all the pocket monsters in the area.

_She could always here me,_ Kate thought, _but all these years I've been talking thinking there would never be an answer back. I-_

"KATHERINE! DINNER!"

Kate jumped a bit in surprise, "Hold on!"

See? It is not so hard. You are talking when your mouth is closed. I told you you knew how.

Kate looked a Abbie. Every word. Every thought. Abbie must have been very patient and listened a lot all this time. Abbie? Do you-

"I"m Coming Up There!"

Kate jumped off the bed, "Let's go eat."

-End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3  Alone

**Chapter 3**

Kate watched Abbie eat in the kitchen from the dining room table. Hilda was of a mind that monsters did not eat at the dinner table since they were not people. She stifled a giggle as she slipped the salad dressing bottle into her lap. Hilda seemed to be concentrating on her own food.

This time Abbie padded over. Teleporting would be too loud and _Hilda_ did not like _children_ talking at the dining table unless spoken too. Kate's smile did not seem to melt Hilda like it did other people she knew.

"Hey! Get back in the kitchen!" Hilda pointed with her spoon.

Abbie zapped, as if in surprise. Holding-up the dressing from behind Hilda triumphantly, got it.

Kate smiled at Abbie.

Hilda turned her frown on Kate, "Your monster should be better behaved."

Kate wiped away her smile. Wondering how much better the pocket-monster kibble would taste with some actual flavor added, a la salad dressing.

"Your father told me you have had it for several years now. Eight? And it still comes around the tables for scraps? Did you not feed it enough?"

Kate braced herself for a lecture and kept her eyes set on Hilda so she would not roll them and invite Hilda to jape deeper. She was used to Abbie eating at the table with her. Her father got used to it when he would get home while the two of them were eating re-heated leftovers when he came late from work. But without her dad, Hilda was in charge so Abbie ate in the kitchen, like some house-broken Growlithe or something. Not that Growlithes were stupid, but that's where they ate.

"And what do you say?"

Kate snapped out of the stare, "what?"

"Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Uh," Kate looked straight at Hilda and tried to remember. _You should apologize for your pocket monster acting-out._ "Um, sorry?"

"Better. Finish that and go upstairs. When your monster is behaving better you can get dessert."

Kate looked at Hilda, she was being treated like a little child! She was already twelve. She finished her dinner in silence, looking at her plate and not at the kitchen where Abbie was quietly lifting some fruit out of a bowl in the kitchen. Zapping upstairs before Hilda saw her. Once Kate was done, she excused herself and headed upstairs.

"And no phone calls!"

Kate turned on the top step, "But I want to talk to my dad."

"No. His work is having a critical re-organization. He said he would call us when he got the chance. Go upstairs, no dessert. And play quietly."

Kate shook her head. Her father loved his work in the lab. She only vaguely remembered being somewhere else before moving here and her father had always enjoyed being a scientist. But, nothing had ever happened before that would take him away from home. Overnight, no calls, while she was unconscious in the hospital. _Why were they doing this to them?_

round or straight? Abbie held up a peach and banana from her bedroom doorway.

Kate flumped onto the bed, pick one for me

Abbie joined her on the bed after closing the door, holding-out the peach. You miss your dad?

The sun was still up and beginning to set. Kate put the peach on her nightstand, I just want to go to sleep.

I do too.

Someone was screaming. A woman. She could not see her face. Or why she was screaming. Blurs were surrounding her. Someone was causing the pain. Little red and white stars were everywhere.

She screamed again. Pain, terror. She was so lonely and hurt. The blurs were black or white, some sort of clothing. They had blood stains over their hearts or chests. Like it was happening quickly.

More pain, more screams. The woman was hurt. She just wanted it to stop. She struggled in a chair. Or was it a bed. But could not get up. Could not get out. Make it stop, please.

There was a lone blur, far away. Above the others. Whatever, whoever, they were, they were not stained. Not on the outside anyway. Watching it all.

She screamed again. It echoed this time, like one person in a huge room.

Kate woke-up in a cold sweat. She remembered screaming. Someone, some woman, had been hurting. She rubbed her arms and face. It felt like spiders were crawling all over her skin. Her arms, her head. She slapped at her face and nearly fell out of bed.

There was nothing there. Just the memory of a scream. She looked over, Abbie was sleeping, peacefully. Kate did not feel like she was being disturbed by a nightmare as well.

Kate slipped out of bed, without waking Abbie. She went to the bathroom to get a glass of water. Cup anyway, it was never a glass cup in there. She sat on the toilet with the cover down, already on a second glass. The light was on but she avoided the mirror. The impression of pain was long gone. Whoever it was she was suffering.

_It felt like it was real._ She thought to herself. _People are strangers to me, not Abbie. But no one else is this close to the pocket monsters they know. No one I know, no one I see around town. These feelings I get, Hilda says its puberty, hormones. But it doesn't explain knowing what people are feeling. What they are saying. I know what Hilda is going to say before she says it._

When people's words did not match what they meant, though, Kate could not trust them. She could not trust anyone. Her father held back with his work, sure. But otherwise he was the only legitimate person she knew. She could not trust anyone but Abbie. Josh was something else, she did not always know what he meant but she knew he was holding back. It was so obvious now, she did not realize why she did not realize this before going to the hospital.

Hilda was up to something and Kate wanted to know what. She could almost hear her words right before they came out of her mouth. But her eyes did not match her mouth. She could still not figure what people were thinking. But she could tell when they could not mean what they were saying.

_But if that's true._ Which it likely was. _Or I'm going crazy and Abbie is helping. But if it's true, then am I dreaming or am I seeing a real person in real pain?_

Her cup was empty again but she did not refill it. The water was not enough, she no longer had a dry mouth but she was hungry.

Out in the hall, no lights were on. Abbie did not feel awake. Nor was there any noise in the house other than her sneaking down to the kitchen.

She slept upstairs, with the monster. I just have to get through the kitchen and-

Kate dropped the milk and turned around. She could see, feel, someone sneaking through the kitchen from the backdoor to the stairs. She jumped at the cold at her feet. The milk was half-spilled over the floor and was spreading. She looked around but did not hear or see anyone.

But she had seen, felt, as they had seen. A dark kitchen. Something in their hands she could not see. Tight clothing...

_A dark kitchen. I still have the door open and they were walking in darkness._ She piked up the milk that was left and grabbed a tea towel to sop up the rest. She had seen someone thinking of sneaking through the kitchen and they weren't really there.

She had seen things as if she was that person, but they were only thinking it. Kate was no longer hungry or wanted milk to wash down a midnight snack. How could she go on if she could not tell the difference between a thought and someone actually doing something.

She was still alone in the kitchen even as she cleaned-up the mess. But more than not telling the difference between real and thought. More than knowing what the people around her thought. She was disturbed by someone thinking about going into the house to do something not-very-good and knowing where she slept.

Once the milk was away she gave up on a quick sandwich and went around the ground-floor, checking all the locks and all the windows. She did not expect anything to be open and was not satisfied by everything being locked. She went to bed anyway, thinking that no one would get in tonight, though she knew she would not be getting anymore sleep tonight.

Maybe in the morning Abbie will be awake and know how to deal with this, with something. All Abras are psychic right? They live this stuff. She seemed surprised that more people are not psychic but don't expect it either.

Kate sat in her bed, trying not to think about the thief. Falling asleep eventually anyway. Something she did not consider was how much her ability was because of her, her life or being around Abbie. Obviously not everyone with psychic Pocket Monsters were psychic too. But she did not think about there being others like her or how many people there could be out there.

She slept the rest of the night dreamlessly and thinking herself alone. Just her and Abbie and no one else.

Kate watched Abbie sitting in the tree after lunch, the next day. Abbie still slept most of the time, but when she was awake, she was really energetic. Currently she was almost invisible behind the leaves in the tree, daring the Pidgeys to try again. There had not been a nest in that tree for years.

Kate was surprised that school would be starting in a week. She had not talked to Josh since before she had been in the hospital. She had not seen him since Abbie had shown him standing outside the hospital. Hilda said no one had called. No one except some of the kids from school. The ones she did not like. She really did not like any of them but Josh was better than the others.

He had never tried to call her. She had tired to call him, while Hilda was getting groceries for the week. He was gone, his mother said he had gone to become a Monster Trainer and was surprised she did not know already. She had a monster of her own first to call friend. But he was the one allowed to go out on his own first. Hilda had Kate taking it easy and her own father ignored her he was so busy from work.

She shoved her science textbook onto the floor. The entrance exams were the only sure thing anymore. At first after the hospital Hilda had treated her like spun glass. But when headaches or nosebleeds never re-appeared and the scans had shown nothing in her brain, Hilda had cracked down on the review she should have been doing weeks ago for school.

Kate left the textbooks behind, science still on the floor. She went downstairs to get a refill on her drink. Before she reached the kitchen, she heard the familiar zap of Abbie following her inside. Looking back on it now, Abbie could always tell when Kate was in a mood. Angry, sad or otherwise. Today was no different.

"I just need a drink. And time," Kate could talk to Abbie so that only they could hear, but she had an easier time talking to her aloud when they were alone together.

No thing ever stays the same. The things change. Just wait.

"I'm impatient, just like all the other humans we know." Kate did not want a response and Abbie did not give one.

All that was left in the fridge were Hilda's canned protein drinks and a bottle of tomato-vegetable drink. Kate went for the latter, at least she could recognize what she was tasting. Abbie liked the protein drinks, but her claws made it hard to open the cans, so Kate opened one into a cup for her.

Kate settled onto the bay window on one side of the entrance hall to the house. Abbie drank the bit of drink from the small can and left the cup behind. There were Pidgeys outside above the neighbours car. Kate left Abbie to it. When you can teleport, being out-ran by flying prey does not really matter anymore.

She propped herself up on the seat under the window to look-out onto the street. Leaning against the frame, her arms around her knees. The Pidgeys were the only things that were moving. Abbie was too, but was more appearing and disappearing around the street, chasing the bird-monsters around.

Someone was walking a Growlithe down the street. It barked at Abbie before she disappeared again, not letting the Pidgeys settle on Kate's house's roof.

There was a roofer's van across the street. The ladders were on the roof and it seemed to be just sitting there. Kate was not sure how long the van had been there, but she had not seen any workers using it since it had appeared. Someone was walking up the street, with a tray of coffees and was heading for the van.

He stopped on the side she could not see from her window and stepped inside the van. She watched the van shift and he got in and probably closed the door. She wondered what was going on inside if they were not doing any work. She was not paying attention to Abbie anymore.

She stared at the side of the van, not looking at the blue letters on the side of the white van. The man had two drinks on the tray, so there could be one more inside. She wondered what was going on.

Something blinked on the corner of the screen. A laptop computer on a table built into the inside of the van. Devices linked to the laptop in front of him. He had his coffee beside the computer. He was bored and incredulous that the girl had no one to talk to on the phone. It would have given him something to do other than stare an his computer waiting for more orders. Just boring. He was getting stuck with the grunt work again. Her other watcher got to go into the house and talk to her, even if the kid did not talk much to anybody. Better than staring at a screen.

Kate shook her head, she had distinct images of herself when the man thought of 'the kid.' Why were people watching her? And Hilda was one of them? The man was bored of not having phone conversations to listen to. _They're tapping the phone!_

Kate, is some thing wrong?

Kate felt Abbie's concern, There are people in that van.

What about them? Abbie zapped into the living room near Kate.

They're watching, wait, you knew about them but you didn't tell me?

I did not know they were watching us. Your people are loud, but it is rude to listen.

She's gone from the window, maybe she'll do something now.

I keep telling that Growlithe not to go on people's lawns. But he doesn't know how to listen.

I hope momma's making jam sammiches again.

What's her name this time? Hilda? She-

I like gooseberry jam, momma-

Something's wrong, Ka- Jam, jammy-jam- Private school- I hope I got it all off the lawn, it's so hard to tell- Get some friends Bitch, give me something to do- Augh, it's on my foot you damn dog- It's gone, we can settle here, maybe a person will drop bread for us ag- I hate is when momma doesn't make the sammiches for m- The bosses daughter was way more interesting, why are we even watching a bleeding heart? She likes the monster too much to exploit- I still do no understand why they pick-it-up. They're clean in the weirdest- Kate I cannot- She's not fit to be part of the Family, and I'm stuck here while all the special assignments are off doing something classified, why am I-

Kate was on the floor, covering her ears, she could not stop the noise though. It would not stop, could not stop. It was too much, all running together. "Abbie? Where are you? What-"

Less than a week and I won't have to babysit anymore. I wish I was doing one of those special assignments. But once she's in school I'll have the place to myself- She's pulling into the drive now- Keep a lookout for that Abra, I hate it when she chases- Aw, summer's almost-Chasing us-Bored-Almost-Jam-Growlithe-Her-I-Want-Kate-

Abbie was standing over Kate and did something for her she had done once before. She yawned as Kate's quaking slowed. It took so much energy to share anything with another. Rest, please. Kate relaxed. They had been together so long it was easy to shift states of mind together, that's why she could always feel when Kate was going against the flow.

A thing came up to the house. It was the Hilda-person with more food. Abbie did not know a lot about how human-people worked, but Hilda would not think it right to find Kate sleeping on the floor. So Abbie teleported the two of them to Kate's bed before the door opened.

"Abbie, I don't feel good." Kate yawned. Disturbed by the movement.

Rest. I will sleep with you. Abbie was really tired now. She could never stay awake as long as Kate did in the sunlight, but going into a sleep or rest state together was easy. Abbie knew Kate's people did not sleep as long as she did, but Kate needed the rest. She did too and went into a rest-state while Hilda moved around downstairs, storing food for the three of them.

Kate was not sick this time and was already asleep before Abbie was.

Kate was rolling the pocket-ball between her hands on the ground. She did not leave it around the house anymore. Not where Hilda could find it and try to stuff Abbie inside. Inside is where Hilda thought Abbie was when Kate left for school before Kate slipped it into her backpack. Abbie was out as soon as Hilda was getting the car ready and was gone so they could talk when Kate wasn't ready for school.

She had tried listening to Abbie, the monster said it was like getting your head full of cotton-balls, but all Kate could hear was a screeching sound if she listened hard enough. She could hear it until she covered her ears and it only stopped when she stopped trying to listen.

Kate was playing with the empty pocket-ball while Abbie was napping on the roof of the school. Kate definitely got the cotton-ball feeling and left Abbie alone. The other kids left her alone. The mood she was in lately, she would only need to glare meaningfully at the teasing ones and they left her alone. Kate did not pay any mind to the whispering about her. She had always felt different, they knew it now too. But all she wanted right now to be left alone. Except by her father. Or Josh.

A car pulled-up beside the schoolyard. The car was not familiar but the person inside was.

"Dad?"

-End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4  The Escape

**Chapter 4**

"Dad!" Kate went past the fence without a thought. Her father was waving her over from the car.

He rolled the window down on the passenger side, "Get in, Kate." He looked tired with large circles under his eyes.

"Dad." she got into the car and he father was driving away as she closed the door. "Did you tell the school?"

"Yeah, yeah." Henry kept his eyes on the road once he had started moving.

Kate took a moment to get her seat belt on before talking again. "Dad?"

"Not now, driving." He checked over his shoulder and kept his eyes on the road.

Kate was sure her father was nervous now. "Dad, we're at a red light."

"Yeah, yeah." He got most of the way though the intersection when he veered across most the the road and accelerated the car enough to push Kate into her seat and into the car door.

"Dad!" Dad!"

"Yeah-yeah!" He took a point to check the rear-view mirror and kept going straight for a couple of blocks before snaking through a neighbourhood.

Kate was a little less apprehensive about her father's mood now. He still looked tired, but he no longer looked caged or afraid.

He scratched his arm and still held onto the driving wheel tensely. "Kate," he sighed, "we can talk now. But me first."

Kate swallowed what she had to say for a moment.

"We're going on a trip and I don't know when we're coming back." He thrummed the wheel with his fingers, he only did that when he said something upsetting. "We can't go back to the house, not now. If Abbie's pocket-ball-"

Kate took the little re-sizing ball out of her pocket. "Don't worry, Abbie can come with us."

Henry looked away from driving long enough to look at the object in Kate's hand. "Oh, good. Is Abbie-?"

Kate smiled as Abbie zapped into the backseat.

"Yeah!" the car swerved as Henry tried to jump out of his seat to look at Abbie and look back at the road.

I do not mean to surprise that much. It has not happened that way before.

Kate pushed away from the car door again, "I'm sorry dad. Abbie's sorry. We didn't mean to surprised you."

He shook it off, checking the mirror again before clearing the next light.

"Just, don't . . . give me some warning next time, okay?"

"Of course, dad." Kate could hear Abbie poking around in the back of the car.

Where is the strap?

Kate looked behind her in the seat, under there.

"What's Abbie doing back there?"

"She's just getting a seat dad." Kate readjusted her seat. "you said we were going on a trip?"

"Yeah. We're almost near the highway. I just had to get my bearings." _Lost the last one of them now._

Kate had that feeling in her gut again, her father was not being honest with her, but he continued before she could comment on it.

"I needed a friends car, for the extra trunk space. I must admit that I do not know when we'll come back." _Need to get as far as we can._ "I know someone in Vermillion. Once we get on the highway, it's a straight-shot to Celadon. We'll be in Vermillion right after that. Haven't you always wanted to be on a boat?"

"But dad, all I have is the ball and what I'm wearing. What about my stuff at the house." The book bag with the few items at school was forgotten in her locker. School was not on her mind and her father had not brought it up.

"Don't worry, I have things you can use. There's a bag in the trunk of clothes you can wear. At this rate, we'll be on our way to the city before nightfall. Anyway, I put something in the glove-compartment for you."

Kate popped open the door. It was crammed with maps and the few items on top. "Is this a monster-indexer?"

Henry smiled at her, "It took some doing. It's, er, an older model. But it should work just fine."

Kate stopped examining the index for what was underneath, "Who is it?" she picked-up the ball and went to use the call button to see what was inside.

"No! No, Katie, please. There's no room."

"I only have enough room in my pocket for one . . ."

I'll hold onto him for you.

Kate passed both balls back to Abbie. There was something under the maps. It was the butt or handle of something.

"Here." Henry snapped shut the glove-box. "Take a look at the index for a while, okay? I need to concentrate on the traffic."

This time there was enough cars and things for her father to be believed. "Okay dad." She turned it on and started pressing buttons. She quickly got into using her first index. Not caring about no touch-screen like some of the other kids had shown off. The only sound was it turning on, everything acted like a regular computer, reading it off the screen. Kate had heard that a voice-command index would be available soon, but she liked the quiet keys and no read-aloud. It was quiet like her.

**Number 63: Abra. Sleeping 18 hours a day, it utilizes it's ability to read minds, awake or asleep, so that it can teleport away from danger before a threat has a chance to strike.**

_That's Abbie. I sleep a lot too for that matter._ Kate glanced at the backseat. Abbie smiled at Kate for the moment they saw each other. Together they had no need for words, spoken or thought. She went back to the index.

There was only one other entry in the monster-index. Or just 'Dex.' A lot of young teens were sent-off to 'discover' the monsters out and about in the world. The dex was more a tracker of how much _that_ person had gotten around.

Kate did not need to be told, she knew. She understood what the professor was really saying the last time she talked to the one in town. When he told Kate she was too young, again, after he talked to another soon -to-be monster-trainer.

Kate was shaken back to the now by a bump in the road. The Dex was still in her hand. She poked at the personal settings. There wasn't much in the old Dexes. Date, time, alphabetic or numeric sorting. No audio setting was the hint. But it was hers. All hers. As well as a personal, electronic, key-card that identified her as a trainer.

If it was a peg-board that was valid ID, she would have been happy. She smiled at her father, but he was concentrating on driving and checking the front windshield mirror. Going back to the Dex, she checked the sketchy image of herself in the pixel-happy screen, above the cramped keyboard. Her smile deepened, she could tell it was her. Other than the dex itself, the memory inside the Dex would have an image that went beyond what the little screen could show. But it was her.

**Emma Gaines**.

"Dad, something's wrong with the Dex."

"Hmm, what?"

"It's not my name, dad. The registrar put it in wrong."

"About that. There's something we need to talk about. Look, we're just getting on the highway now."

Her father looked less tense as they pulled onto the highway. Kate found it easier to relax herself.

"I knew a Gaines once, she-"

Kate, look out for trouble. Abbie was half-turned in the back seat.

Kate looked back, not paying her father attention. They were right on the highway now, Kate didn't see it right away, but she saw it. The van pulling in far behind them, cutting other cars off cleanly. A white van. Followed by a second.

She scrunched-up her face for the next part, More like double. There's two of them.

Abbie nodded.

"Hold-on, Kate. We'll talk-a- hold-on." He did a couple of lane changes that nearly hit one car and had three cars beeping at him.

_It's Hilda all over again. They're coming. For us._ Abbie. . .

I am here. Never forget that.

Henry looked over his shoulder, they were still coming. He was never going to get away. He looked down at the folder between the front seats. It was all there. Pictures, signed orders. Not much, but enough to tear apart their 'research.'

Experimenting on the monsters was becoming distasteful, but people. And children. Henry, in the beginning, had not questioned where the money was coming from. But when he learned what it was going too, he was not going to sit idly by.

Some of those kids were only a little older than Kate. It was all coming down to one thing: weapon-izing monsters to use against people. The data crunching he had been doing did not lead to much else. He was not a top expert in biology, but enough to be indispensable to the 'effort.' He wished he knew where the 'test subjects' ended up once they were inducted. But if he shut it down in Viridian, he could bring down his patrons as well.

One thing he was not as good at, was driving. He nearly got into several accidents trying to merge ahead of the vans. _I think that was someone's side mirror._ But the van's drivers were much better. They were catching up and He was getting too close to hurting Kate or her pet monster. Any of them dying or getting hurt badly enough made none of it worth it.

But Kate was on that list of potential suitable candidates. His own daughter, the man was running the program. Henry was not stupid, Kate was gifted. They needed to get away or more people were going to be hurt, including her. She never talked about it. Her only friend was gone.

Henry clutched the folder to the driving wheel. He wondered how differently things would have turned out if he had not asked her father for a psychic monster that was having an effect on a four-year-old girl over the last eight years. _We need to get out of here_.

Kate held the Dex close. _We need to get away._ Abbie, they're getting closer.

Abbie unbuckled the seat belt. Holding onto the front seats with her claw to keep steady, the two capsules on the other hand. She got a worried glance from Henry and only a feeling from Kate, who's eyes were squeezed shut.

Then let's go.

ZAAAP!

"When the lead car gets into place, move in and box them over to the side. Simple right?"

"Look-out!"

The blue sedan they were chasing was decelerating and caught the car behind it by surprise, rear-ending it. This caused the quarry to be pushed forward, seeming without any steering where it wavered and peeled to the side, into traffic instead of the median.

This caused the chasers to scramble out of the way of an accident that was taking over two lanes of traffic. Including them. The rear-ending, whiplash and pile-ups are just beginning.

Kate opened her eyes, she was on the grassy shoulder of the road. Hearing the screeching and grinding of metal on metal. Across the highway, past the south traffic, was a pile of cars, vans and a truck gathering into a large accident on the road. She could see the lettering on the side of a white vehicle. Red on white letters of some florists called Rosie's-something.

"Dad, No!" She stood up, trying to look for the blue car she had been in. She had never ported with Abbie before, with no idea if it would have worked, but it did.

"I'm here." Her father was patting his stomach, not looking well.

"Dad! Dad, are you okay?"

"No, yes. Better." He picked himself up and dusted his pants off. He had a moment of panic before finding the bi folder beside him on the ground. "How about, we start down the highway this way?" He looked considering at Abbie for a moment. "As surprising as that was, would it be possible to do that again, umm that way?" He pointed further down the highway.

Kate looked to her friend, "Abbie?"

I would need to sleep it off after. If you need to put myself inside the cocoon to carry myself, I do not mind.

"Dad, Abbie says it's okay." words were not the right word for how Abbie communicated with Kate, but that is how she understood it. The cocoon was more an expression of how Abbie felt inside the pocket ball. Abbie did not mind sleeping-off in the pocket ball. But Kate and Abbie enjoyed the sleep-overs together at home more.

"All right. There is a weather outpost and science station on the edge of the woods further down the high way. If Abbie can jump us further down until we see the satellite-dish uplink, we'll be close enough to walk the rest of the way."

"What about Sienna? Isn't it on the other side of the highway?"

"I know a couple of people that work at that station. Shall we?"

Kate had Abbie in her pocket now.

The satellite was visible above the tress further along. The crash-site was left far behind and the sun was just past noon.

Her father, Henry was walking beside her. He was holding the folder, it was mote like an envelope., tied shut, and he held it more important than the cooler of food that was in the backseat of the car.

"Dad, what is so important about that envelope?"

He clutched it before holding it at his side again, "It's the reason I was being chased. I had to get away, and you-"

"But why would they be chasing you?"

Henry sighed, "I'll tell you when you're older. When you can understand better." _If I live to see you when you are older._

Her face screwed up in confusion, "What do you mean if you live to see me grow-up? Dad?"

Kate's heart was crushed by the fear in her father's face at that. He held the folder to his chest for protection. Then the fear turned to sadness.

"Kate, oh no. I suspected, but" He stopped walking to bend-down to look Kate in the eye. "There were things I was not meant to see. But I had to build a file, against Them. If I was going to give someone the chance of tearing the organization apart."

"Dad, you're not making any sense. Who?" She went into his arms as he knelt to her.

"Kate, my employers are not nice people. Not at all, and in the years since the research station was shut down they have been getting aggressive in their acquisitions. Lately they have been looking for people. I'm just an analyst. A, well trusted, senior analyst that can see patterns in a few blips that used to take the computers months of crunching to find."

He stroked her hair, less than a day ago he had had no idea if he was going to ever see her again.

"I have been doing a lot of work with the computers, assigning jobs for best use of their time. But that put a lot of data through my hands. That would speak volumes to me before the computers had a chance, things my employers might not have wanted me to know."

He held her back, at the shoulders to look her in the eyes, "They trusted me with a lot. And we are running away from dangerous people to people I do not know how far I can trust them. I love you Kate, never forget that. I raised you, you are my life and I will not let Them take me away from you again."

"Dad, what are you saying?" She could see it, already, a baby being given to a man, to Henry.

"Kate, I was becoming a flight risk and I was too valuable to dispose of. So I was isolated from the outside world. And with you. But at the same time, They were looking for a certain type of person." _His own daughter, I sued to think there was something redeemable about him."_

"Dad?"

"I know, tangent." He took a breath and composed himself, "They sent a handler to take care of you in their absence, but while I was working I saw the reports. I wasn't supposed too, but I was keeping an eye out, for you."

"Why would they want me?"

"Kate, you know what I'm thinking sometimes before I even know. There are people who train monsters for years before they can get the kind of rapport with their monster that you have. The face that you have a resting period to match one of the most powerful species of psychic monster, that you keep with you. Is not helping you case. They want people gifted like you and I won't let them HAVE YOU!"

"Ow, dad, that hurts."

He let go of her shoulders, "sorry. I just. Look, I know I said I'd wait until you were older, but you should know now. Something could happen, we could be separated. I got as much help as I could from the Underground in Viridian. That index is your ID pad and passport to the world. You are one child among millions, you have the rest of your life ahead of you and that 'dex is that chance."

He stopped to rub his eyes, "I'm older now, I'm the one that took care of you, but you might need to take care of yourself soon and from now own. I just want you to have that chance. And this file" he waved it in front of her, "Is the hard copy of data I need to bring Them down. Right now I have two purposes that are bigger than my whole life. And they are both right here, within my reach."

Kate came forward again to hug her father, "I love you dad."

"I love you too."

"Dad?"

"Yes Kate? We should be heading to the station soon."

"Dad, was I the baby that was given to you?"

Henry stood thunderstruck, he did not know what to say, or what to think. But Kate saw anyway.

The baby grew to a toddler, a girl, her.

"You're-you're not..."

"Kate."

"Not..."

"I'm here for you, please."

"You. Are. Not. My. Father?"

Henry's shoulders shook, Kate was in tears, she was impossible not to empathize with. "I raised you. I took care of you. Your father wanted you out of direct danger. But he did not raise you, did not try. I just want you to have a chance away from all that."

"Why would my father give me up?" She sniffled from the tears on her face, "Why, dad?"

Henry just shook his had and held her again, the sadness and despair was coming in waves and he was finding it hard to stand against it.

"What about my mother?"

"I knew her, those years ago, she asked me to take care of you as her last wish. I'm sorry Katherine."

Kate cried out her tears into the chest of the man who raised her. He was being honest, which was more than could be said of most of the people she knew. His eyes were matching his words.

But for a moment there, she had hoped that her mom was alive somewhere. It was exactly like finding out you were adopted, and your parents were out there, somewhere. But her real mother really was dead.

In the past, it honestly felt like Henry did not want to talk about her mother because it was too painful. It was, she could see it. Worn away from time was the memory of her mother. Henry was ahead of his time, and had impressed on her family. She looked at Henry with trust. It was like Kate was looking though time, back at her. But the tears welled up again with the next memory.

Henry looking down on the stone.

**Beloved Amelia Girono nee Gaines, mother and wife. You will be missed.**

The sadness of the memory and losing her mother, again, washed over her.

Henry held Kate there, on his knees. Trying to be strong for both of them, it was like losing Emma for a second time. But he held Kate there and let her have the moment. She might not have this chance again to just let go and feel.

"Kate, come on. We have more walking to do today. Be strong." He wiped his own eyes. Something struck him, what if she was not just telepathic but empathic? His mind was going faster than he realized again. What is she was pushing her feelings on the people around her? And He had raised her!

She sniffled and started wiping her face, "Oh- okay dad. Let's go."

-End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 Along the Highway

**Chapter 5**

"Can I?" Kate held out the pocket-monster-ball.

Henry looked down at her hand as they walked down the road. "Is she not still sleeping?"

"It's the other one."

Henry looked down at Kate, her face, her red eyes from the crying. "Sure, but keep it close, okay?"

A little reptile came out of recall. It stood erect and looked at both of them. It had two little fore arms and red pebbly-skin. Like the beasts that roamed the planet millions of years ago, except it had a flame coming out of the end of it's tail and it's head barely came up to Kate's waist. After seeing the tail on fire, the pale stomach and claws was an after thought.

"Hello."

It took a step back and the flame on it's tail flared up a little.

"Be careful Kate. I know it's from the professor, but sometimes they get a little antsy with a new owner."

It's head whipped to look at Henry. "Hssssssssssst!"

"Now, now little one. Calm down." He waved his hands gently and tried to be non-threatening.

_I don't want to hurt you._ Kate tried thinking harder, I mean you no harm.

It stopped and looked at her. Cocking it's head. "Rrrrauh?"

Kate smiled, "Dad, what is it?"

"Check your index. Um," He patted his pockets down with the hand not holding the folder. "I don't have anything for it to eat. Maybe the station will have something. A lot of them feed the local wild animals."

"Follow me and I'll find you some food." She found it easier to concentrate on the words when she spoke them aloud. It seemed a little pointless to speak aloud when being telepathic.

The monster cocked it's head the other way, bounced from one foot to the other and moved to follow Kate and Henry.

"See dad, it likes me."

"I think it's a he, Kate."

"How can you tell?"

"The teeth and the shape of the skull, when they are young the males are bigger. I specialized in monster-biology in school."

"That helps. So what is he?" They walked on, getting close to the station.

The monster bounded along, sometimes going around them in a circle, making hopeful noises. Kate hoped the promise of food could be kept. She was hungry herself. Her lunch was back in the school cafeteria and that was hours ago.

"You are the monster-trainer. You tell me."

Kate took her dex out of her pocket and tried to point it at the monster as they were getting closer to the satellite. "Hold still."

It stopped to look at her, more trying to understand what she said more than actual comprehension.

"Got it." The light went green with a read on the monster.

The creature went back to it's laps as Kate read the entry.

**Number 4: Charmander. The flame on it's tail is an indication of it's general health and emotional state. The flame will continue to burn in heavy rain, especially if it is healthy.**

"Hey there's another page, height, weight. And some other things."

Henry's stomach grumbled, which caused the Charmander to sniff at Henry's stomach, trying to find where the sound came from.

"Yes little one, we're all hungry. Let's hustle Emma. We're almost there."

"My name is Kate dad."

Henry smiled a little, trying to put a good spin on things, "When we are safe, we can use our real names. Okay?"

Kate nodded. Wondering how long that would take.

"Hustle Emma."

"Okay dad."

"Doctor Beven? What are you doing here?" A woman with purple streaks in her ash blonde hair answered the door. She was wearing brown and green clothes that belonged on a ranger.

"Doctor Stevens, how long has it been?" they shared a grin as Kate and Henry were let inside.

"We were talking about job prospects at the convention, what was it? Ten or twelve years ago. Come in. Um, where's your car?"

"It broke down by the highway. It's being towed."

"Oh yeah?"

"Charlie, NO!" Kate chased Charmander into the science station, it was on the hunt for food and Kate did not want him to get into trouble.

"Not the paper!"

Kate tried to follow it but 'Charlie' could get under the table. Please! Don't burn anything!

It stopped running, tucking it's tail around it's legs. Which minimized the chance of the fire of it's tail touching anything.

"Are we okay?" Dr. Stevens called from the door.

"Yeah, it didn't touch anything." the other scientist started re organizing the papers so they were not next to the edge of the table. The one with the needles running along the continuous paper, though. That was not moving anywhere.

"Charlie, it's okay. I was just scared." Kate tried to reassure her monster.

It growled and grumbled at her, then she realized that he was getting hungry too.

Her dad and the female scientist were laughing at old times. The guy scientist was keeping an eye on Charlie and protectively watching over the needle-paper-machine. Kate thought it was a graphing machine for geology.

_Seismology-graph. That's not it. I'm hungry._

"Hey, Emma. I was telling Lana about the car." He smiled and looked at Dr. Stevens.

She was taking a bucket outside where the sun was getting low. She looked at Kate, Charlie and Henry and shook the bucket from the door. "Is somebody hungry?" as she headed out the door.

Charlie did not even hesitate. He swerved around the other scientist so the paper was not at risk. Thinking with it's stomach.

Henry laughed at Charlie and looked back at Kate, "I told her the car broke down and we were closer to here than Sienna. I'm just trying to get you to Celadon for your first badge, your parents don't want you wandering around in the forest. I already told Lana that's where the car is being towed. My job is taking me all over the place, right?"

Kate looked up at Henry, she hoped Henry's smile did not look at fake to Lana as it did to her. "Okay, d-... Mr. Beven."

"I told you," he patted her shoulder, "just call me Henry. Lana's dropping off some things and picking up supplies in Celadon in a couple of days. But there's a spot for us to stay here until then." He winked at the other scientist. "She wants me to work my magic on the data before you two write the report."

The other man re-organized the seismograph when it did not need it. "Greatest story never told. Lana mentioned you from school. But she didn't say what you were doing since then."

"NDA, you know how it is with these special contracts."

"Yeah," he was more likely jealous than disbelieving.

Kate was sure now he was green with envy. "What's an n d a?"

"Non disclosure agreement. It means I can't talk about my work or any thing else I see there outside of work."

"It's like Fight Club. I'm Tom by the way."

"What's Fight Club?" Kate looked between the two men, it was like there was a joke where she was the only one not in on it.

"She's a little young for it, don't you think?"

"Eh. So, staying for dinner then? We're getting low so it's mostly soup and trail mix today. And tomorrow, and the day after that. But the next day we'll have microwave food!"

Kate smiled, sarcasm was like that. The words did not match his eyes, but the meaning under the sarcasm did. It was like lying while telling the truth. But she got the joke too.

"I wonder how Charlie is doing."

Tom smirked, Charlie? That's the Charmander, right?"

Henry nodded, "Yeah, we've been driving a long way. That soup sounds good after missing dinner."

"It's back here."

Kate wandered outside to see how Charlie and Lana was doing.

Lana was watching the sunset over the trees while a bunch of monsters were chowing down on what was in the bucket. She had something in her hand she was feeding to Charlie, bit by bit.

Kate tried to walk in a non-threatening manner over there. Not thinking once about her index. She wanted to enjoy seeing so many wild bugs and the one large mouse so close. Living in the city meant rattatas and pidgeys. Here there were insects and bats and mice and the long-eared jumpers with poison barbs. She had no idea what most of their names were. But she wanted to see and meet more than defeat.

Before she got close, the yellow-mouse got her scent, perked up and ran off, disturbing the insects. By the time she joined Lana, Charlie was the only monster left.

"I'm sorry I scared them off. I wanted to see them."

"It's okay, they're not used to you. Here, I have some left." Lana put the last of the feed in Kate's hand.

"I pick up some generic feed for different monsters. I mix it together but they pick out what they want. Feed it to him, he's a little greedy-guts."

Charlie's attention went from Lana to Kate. She tried holding out one piece of kibble at a time but dropped it in surprise when he nearly bit her.

"It takes a little training to feed them like that. Let him eat it right out of your hand."

After he had taken in what was dropped he went after her hand and was more gentle with her open hand.

"How long have you had him?"

"I got him today. My dad picked him for me."

"Wow, today. And you're old enough for your parents to let you go out to look at monsters?"

Charlie gave up on Kate's now empty hand and went after the leftovers the other monsters had left behind.

"Hey, I turned eleven months ago."

"Sorry, you look a little young for your age."

_She means short._ "I get that a lot. But my teachers in school know how old I am."

"Of course."

Kate let the conversation wind down. Watching the sun set behind the trees and Charlie poking around the bucket.

"Um, what brought you here, to this weather station?"

"I like the quiet. And feeding the monsters is a nice break from staring at the computer screen or the seismograph feed. I like it out here, life is simple."

Lana was doing that thing where her words were not matching her eyes. But she seemed more like she was convincing herself than trying to convince Kate of anything.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever been out of the city since I moved in. But I like the quiet too." It really was quiet,

Kate did not have to keep-up her shield as much to push out the noise. It was relaxing.

"You don't have to try so hard to convince me."

"No really. It's quiet. And all the monsters are out there. Outside the cities."

"Yeah, most of them. But you know the ones in the cities have an ecosystem of their own. One we humans are as much a part of as any Pikachu does in the forest."

"Pikachu? Isn't that like one of those yellow mice I saw run away?"

"Yeah, like that. But you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, we are all in and inter-connected webs that chain together to make a world. Whether the others in the city know it or not. Like a web as wide as the world."

Lana smirked, "Like world-wide-web?"

"I did not want to confuse the issue. I mean the ecosystems."

"We are all connected, I like it. You know, for a kid-trainer you're all right."

"Don't you have a monster of your own?"

"I have them," Lana gestured at the trees, 'It's all I need while I'm here." She patted her pocket, "and my lucky rock."

"Lucky rock?"

Lana pulled a golden rock out of her pocket. "It's some fool's gold I found by the river when I was by the river. I was lost after taking a look in the woods. But I followed the river until I found signs of civilization. Didn't get much work done that week. The first thing I found was that rock when I found the river, so I kept it."

"How'd you get lost?"

"I was trying to go for a walk but I got turned around. Really, I'm not surprised your parents got a friend to take you straight to Celadon. There are rangers going through those woods to help the poor kids who go in there unprepared. "

"I've never been camping, that doesn't help. I read a lot of book on it though."

Lana laughed, "It's not the same. Just reading a book will not teach you how to build a fire."

Kate laughed back, pointing at Charlie.

They both laughed at that. Charlie stopped, looking confused and back and forth. Wondering what they were laughing at.

"Kate!" Her father called from the two-story building, "dinner-time!"

Kate lay in Lana's bed, sleeping in the loft are in the upper part of the station. Charlie was in the pocket-ball after the near-fire when he rolled over the first time. Abbie sat on the end of the bed, sleeping in a sitting position. Tom was in the next bed, on the other side of a privacy curtain.

Lana and Henry were downstairs on the ground floor, talking quietly over tea at the dinner table.

"She's a sweet little kid, I hope exploring the wide world and seeing what it's like doesn't make her cynical."

"I did my best. I think it would take a lot to bring her down." _More than what we're not looking forward to, I hope._

"Is there a reason you chose her monster for her?"

"It's just the way things turned out. You know how they get all excited when they get that chance to be free before they grow-up."

"Is there a reason you show up at my work, out of the blue, an hours walk from the highway, looking lost, scared, and holding that folder, you won't show me, with slightly less desperation that the daughter that's not your daughter?"

Henry did not respond, he did not know what to say. _What is going to happen in Celadon if other people can tell this well?_

"I'm sorry, don't worry. I can tell whatever it is it's heavy on you. It's just that we were classmates. You know you can trust me. I am just going through some things with this job and don't want anyone to lie to me."

Henry took a moment to drink some of the tea. "It's because I like you and trust you that I don't want to tell you. I am sorry as well. But it's my burden to bear."

Lana looked disappointed, "And what about Emma? What does she know?"

Henry sighed, "She has her own burdens. I'm just-"

"Taking her away from school? Her mother? I remember telling you I was working here, but you never said you were married."

"I'm not and she's not leaving anyone behind. Her mother died not long after she was born. I've raised her all this time. Me, she is my daughter. But the less people connect her with me, the safer she will be."

Lana cupped her mug with both hands, "Safe from what? From who? How bad could it possibly be?"

"I can't tell you, the less you know-"

"The safer I'll be. Yeah, well, going it alone gets you no help."

"You said you were having your own problems?"

"I am doing this as a favour to the Professor. Otherwise, I have no job. My bursary from the university dried-up and my job at the museum in Pewter is a write-off. Without this station I would have no job at all."

"What on earth happened? Your minor in archaeology got you that job examining those monster and plant fossils?"

" 'Your attitude is unwarranted in the current professional climate.' " she quoted mechanically, "politics that pissed-off the boss of my boss. You know how it is. Like the time people were crying-out against people that were 'against democracy' a few decades ago. Except it was just me and a certain few others."

"That still doesn't answer the question."

"The only thing I can think of is when Jayce came by. Jayce Winters, remember him?"

"Yeah, he had dark hair and glasses?"

"Yes. One day last year, a little before we messaged each other until you were busy, I was talking with him. He was not doing well, his wife divorced him and he was going up for appeal on getting his job back. He was raving, going on about...something. He said his life was falling apart because he knew what Evo Enterprises was doing with it's test subjects."

"Evo? Aren't they a cosmetics company?"

"Jayce was doing consultant work, that involved Evo, before thins started falling apart. His firm was the one with the appeal. But anyway, he said he had discovered unsavoury dealings and needed to talk to someone he could trust before going to a whistle-blowing group."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know, that's the thing. He was going on and on like he was crazy. I could barely make sense of it. All I could do was nod and say okay."

Henry looked at her dumbfounded.

"What was I supposed to do? It sounded like he was having a nervous breakdown, at the time. But near the end, he was making some sense."

"Like what?"

"Evo, they were doing more than the normal cosmetics tests. The spiderweb of conspiracy made no sense spoken and he refused to put anything to paper. But in the end he talked about what he witnessed at the lab."

"What was it?"

"It all came back to DNA. They were doing sequencing and manipulating there."

"What?-"

"They were trying to grow test-tube monsters."

"What, but-"

"But what? It was horrible. The things he saw had been outlawed years ago. The infrastructure supporting these things made no sense to me. I for one am glad he said there was no sign of life. Those things would have been suffering. But what Henry?"

"But, the last I heard of genetic experiments was dropped over eight years ago."

"Funny, I never heard of that. You want to know what happened next?"

"Er, what happened to Jayce?"

"He was committed shortly thereafter. I tried talking to him, but he was full of drugs. His ex-wife and kids buried him a few months later. Now, ask what happened to me."

"What?..."

"I tried looking into things, discreetly. Find out where the money trail was. Maybe I could find out what they were getting money for. But I couldn't, Evo was acquired in a corporate takeover and it's departments were divvied up between the companies that belonged to the new owner. Then a little later I got the 'talk' from my boss. I was black listed and had to find a new job."

"I had to pull a favour with Oak to get the job here. Or I would not have one at all. So tell me why you think not telling me will protect me, please. If you can convince me I'll let up."

"Can I ask a favour?"

"Depends."

Henry sighed, "Would you be willing to not tell anyone I have been through here? The less people can connect me with my daughter, the better a chance she has out there."

"You sound like the kind of man that already has his funeral planned."

Henry looked at her and passed her the folder.

-End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6  Safety in Celadon

**Chapter 6 - Safety in Celadon**

Kate slept above, peacefully at first, splayed out on the bed beside Abbie. As the night went on, she curled close to herself, into an almost foetal position and full of tension.

There was no pain, no memory of it. But Kate's own memory was of pain to come. She remembered this dream, but knowledge of it being _just_ a dream slipped away as she took in her surroundings.

Her wrists were not bloodied or sore.

_Why would they be?_

Her skin was unbroken, but _they_ came. The ones with stained hearts, bloody chests and dirty hands. Her head was already held down. She hardly squirm at all as they came. With needles.

She cried-out with pain as it felt like her arm was being pinched in a large vise. The stained-ones held her still until a warmth spread from that arm to the rest of her body. Bringing a numbness that took away any chance of moving within her restraints.

Her tongue felt like it was swelling in her mouth, her jaw slackened. She could make noise, but it was muffled compared to the screams she made before.

_What before time? Am I going to scream?_

She could move her eyes, a little, but was stuck staring at the bright lights above her. There were other bright lights in clusters to either side, but she dreaded what was coming for her more than the others. She wanted to cry out for them, to anyone at all. But all she could do was quietly gurgle.

She could still feel Them. They were not holding her, they were stroking her arms? One of them had an electric razor and was taking off her bangs and the hair covering her temples. She was trying to figure out what they were doing to her arms and legs that would make it feel like _that_ while numb.

A part of her in the back of her mind dreaded to know. But hated not seeing all the same.

Her head was cold, she could see someone dabbing her temples with gel and someone else was stroking her hair. Her pelvis was lifted up and tilted her head back. Something was being wrapped around her waist, but she was too distracted to notice with her new viewpoint.

Someone had a bundle of wires that fanned like a long hand. The finger tips tapering to needle-points thinner than a syringe. She gurgled as the holder held them up to a second person and they placed the needles behind her area of view. She gurgled more as she was 'stroked' where she had been shaved.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed and hoped that she was not here, not now. Anywhere from here. She prayed to anything to take her away. Laying on her back, trying not to think of the _things_ that were _inside_ her. They were _inside her_ and she could not get away.

All over, like spider-legs crawling across her skin. It made her itch, it made her want to scream.

"Keep the dosage even, if she goes into shock we won't be able to start the treatment until she recovers."

"Add some Doparootamine. That first dose will should be wearing off this hour. If this one is as strong as they say, we'll need a lot."

She continued to gurgle, her thoughts becoming clouded again. The last time it had happened, she was free and had been caught. No way out, all she had left was her own mind and even that was slipping away from her.

_No escape. I can feel it on my skin, it's on my skin, it's _in_ my skin. Fire burn me, the needles are _in _me!_

Before her mind failed her completely, she could feel it. The impression of pain, the memory, it belonged to the others, it would belong to her. In a way it already did. She had a feeling of deja-vu that slipped away as she thought of it. Until all that was left was the spiders-on-her-skin feeling and the promise of pain to come.

Unobtrusive leads were attached to to her temples and something placed in her mouth. Something was wrapped around her hips and pelvis, like padding.

She needed it when the treatments began, she voided her bladder and bowels during the treatment. And did veer best to try and scream.

Kate floated in nothing, glad to escape the pain. She had the impression of rubbing her arms and legs, even though they did not really exist here. She just wanted the reassurance that there was nothing on them.

The void with the stars was splayed out around her. Little points of light below and away, but now it was like she straddled emptiness.

On one side, was the usual splay of stars, as well as the purple-tinted one in the middle. But the splay was sketchier than before. Like 'purple,' as Kate liked to name the only distinct one, was in an island that was getting smaller, little-by-little. There was a small, tight, bunch on her other side.

Distance seemed meaningless here, but it was all relative. The bunch did not look good. As she watched it, the little stars were sickly and yellowing to brown. One of them faded away to nothing as she watched.

It was getting larger as she looked at it longer, or she was getting closer. It was all difficult to put to words.

Something warm touched her and she became distracted.

It was a little amber light, like a glow-bug, floating around. It was brighter than the others, because it was close. It floated around her, like a little happy light.

Colour was how Kate understood things, but she could get emotion and feeling from something so close.

Something so small, it appeared to be the piece of something bigger.

No, it is not yours.

"Abbie?"

You are here again. Abbie's vulpine figure looked upon Kate with concern.

"What is this place?"

It is Our place.

Kate could hear the capital letter in there, an 'our' that did not mean her.

"Is, is this place for your people?"

Some touch this place, but you come. Your mind is too small and you come anyway. Go back to sleep.

"I was having a nightmare Abbie, I just wanted to get away. It felt so real."

Abbie moved around Kate, or seemed to. Between Kate and the bunch in the distance. Or was she just that small?

Dangerous things come. You are young. Go to sleep.

"What things? Abbie, tell me." the little amber-yellow light drifted away.

Abbie was in front of a light, a new light or an old one. Back washed in red light.

Go. To. Sleep.

Before the waking red star could fill the area with it's angry light, things went darker around Kate. Swallowing her up and taking her into the blackness of dreamless sleep.

Kate and Abbie were in the backseat of Lana's car.

Lana looked tired, like she had not had enough sleep. But not too tired to drive the rest of the way to Celadon. Henry was in the front passenger's seat, talking lightly with Lana.

After breakfast, Lana had decided to go a day early for supplies. Between the two guests and two extra monsters, the station was going to run out early anyway.

A half-truth as far as Kate was concerned, but she said nothing as this one helped get her and Henry to safety sooner.

The car took a dirt track to a small road that went to the highway. Pewter was closer, as the Murcrow flies, but the mountain roads were slower and with more bends than the highway. A mountain town, the largest under Mt. Moon, would have been longer to get to. Celadon had everything in the sky-scraping city. It also helped that the station's monthly reports were being dropped-off in Celadon as well. And if special equipment needed replacing, the parts would be found in the metropolis.

Kate leaned back in her seat. Appearing to doze and not paying much attention to the banter happening in the front seat.

What was that place Abbie? Kate turned her head, it was definitely easier to talk this way looking at her monster-friend.

It is Our Place.

Okay, what were those lights?

People like us. Sleeping, mostly.

That use of us sounded like Abbie meant herself and Kate this time.

Mostly?

It is easier to go to Our Place while asleep. But things are changing.

How are they changing Abbie?

A new light. It comes to bring change. Pulling the other lights to it, We know Our Place too well to be pulled but it. But you and your people... do not know the danger.

But what is it? she could remember the pull, like gravity, a larger object pulling a smaller to it.

Something that touches Our Place while awake. It is too strong, many of Us meditate for sleep, so We can see the waking dangers. Stay away from it. If I do not see you there, stay away.

Doe that mean I am strong? To go to your place?

You can be strong, but you must learn first.

Then teach me Abbie. Teach me how to be strong.

Abbie shifted in her seat and picked at the seat belt. I already said I cannot teach you. You know that you are strong or you do not. A Pidgey learns to fly by not falling out of it's nest. You learn or you do not, I cannot teach you how to not hit the ground.

But what about the shield-block you taught me?

I did not teach you that any more than breath. Inhale, exhale, that is all I could do so that you would not hit the ground that time. You still did anyway.

What? Fall?

Abbie shrugged a little, You do not know how to stand up unless you fall. But falling for us, if too hard, could stop you from getting up again.

What do you mean?

There is a nurse for hurts, yes? What if you bruise your spirit so hard it bleeds. There is no potion for that. Not when it is on the inside. Whether your spirit is bleeding or your actual insides.

Kate digested that for a few minutes. Sink or swim. But sinking here meant drowning. She wondered how it would be for her if Abbie had not been there. But after what her father said, maybe she would not be so far along if Abbie had never been there.

How would you know danger unless I could point at it to show you. That I can teach.

Kate smiled at Abbie, briefly. Abbie had not actually pointed, or actually said what was danger. But Kate had spent more of her life with Abbie than without. If one felt or noticed something, the other was not far behind. And danger was something Abbie saw coming a mile away.

You already have, Abbie. I need only listen to you to see it.

And when I sleep?

Kate's cheeks reddened at that, I learn fast.j

Of course.

Kate had not idea what Abra groups were like in the wild. But Abbie's last thought made it sound like Kate was a small child, congratulating on any progress at all. It was not quite an insult but sometimes Kate knew what Abbie left unsaid, even in telepathy.

"Here that Kate? We'll be in Celadon in half an hour."

"That's good dad," Kate said offhandedly. Her mind drifted, someone was touching her in her sleep and giving her nightmares. She had a feeling it was that sickly bunch. Overseen by the red star. She wondered how powerful someone that strong could be.

Henry and Kate waved good-bye to Lana as the car drive away and down the corner. It was quickly lost in the traffic. Light though it was in such a large city. There were enough cars to swallow Lana's car in the distance.

Kate looked around and up. The city was huge. Veridian had sprawl, edged by the forest and the farms. But Celadon was sprawled more and taller. She found she missed the sky, with the skyscrapers everywhere. A short building was under twenty stories around here.

In Veridian, fifteen stories was too tall. Here, that was too short. And they cut-out the sky. Everywhere she looked there was concrete and glass.

There were trees. Hedges on balconies, trees on the sidewalk. There was plants and trees everywhere, but nothing that had been a forest for a long time. For that matter, Viridian must seem wild to the people that live in Celadon all their life. Kate had never been camping, but everyone knew to be careful near the forest. Here the 'forest' was a sapling or small tree every ten feet or so.

"This way, Kate."

"How do you know where to go? I would be lost with this many streets."

"I know the address and there is a vid-phone over there." They waited to for the light to change to cross.

Kate looked around at all the glass. Down the street there was a squat building, she could see one end of it. It was a relatively small building that looked like growing crystal made of steel and glass. Industrial and organic at the same time. With all the right angles and continuous straight lines, it was a welcome change.

"I know where it is. But we should go in here first." He turned around to go back the way they came.

Kate and Abbie followed him to another squat building. It being low was relative. It had some spread for a short building. Short being ten floors. It had been hidden from her view at first from taller buildings.

"What-..." She looked up at the awning over the first floor doors of the building.

**Celadon Department Store**

"It's larger than I remember. But Kate, stay with me. It's easy to get lost in there and I do not want to be separated okay?" He double-checked the yen in his wallet. A large stack of bills, like he had taken a chunk of the money out of the bank already. "Credit cards no good, stay with me Kate. This has to last."

Kate came out of the huge store with a backpack loaded with extra clothes and packaged camping food. A sleeping bag and a tent big enough for her and Abbie, barely. If she was not so short it would have only fit one of them. Henry had a bag himself, with less clothes and less food. Silently griping about what was left in his wallet.

"Here," he handed her her own wallet. "Don't lose it." As Kate put it in a pants pocket, the two pocket balls were on a side pocket of her new bag, so she had a place for the wallet.

"Good, don't put it in your pack, if you lose that you lose everything. Now, I gave you half of what was left, in case we get separated. Okay? There is not much there, so make it last. A lot of trainer hostels have some food going, cheap or for free. So only use that for emergencies okay?"

"Okay dad." She did not look to see if there was anything in the wallet, but she did not want to pull it out and count in the street either.

"Ready? This way."

"This is the place" Henry looked up at the tenements. This one was a high-rise like the others. Blending in with twenty or more floors like the others. But with balconies instead of all glass.

"Do we just go in?"

"Here," he skimmed down the list and used the ringer.

"**What?"**

"I'm here to get a cover-shot for my resume. My daughter wants one too, for her first job."

"**What time is your appointment?"**

"I'm sorry, I'm late. My appointment was yesterday, with Jody?"

There was silence from the intercom system. Henry kept looking at the intercom and gave Kate a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. More to reassure himself than her.

After a minute, or so, of silence there was an answer.

"**You are late. Come upstairs."**

His "Thank you," was over-written by the buzz of the door as it unlocked for them.

Henry looked at Abbie, "Can you put her away? I know you two are inseparable, but I don't know how much I can trust them." He held the door open for Kate.

"She's not tired and if you don't trust them why am I coming with you?"

"We're staying together. It's better that way."

Kate smiled with an idea and turned to Abbie, "How many pidgeys do you think are on the roof?"

With a zap, Abbie was gone. Henry and Kate saw a flock of pidgeys lift up from the roof and scatter.

"Will she stay up there?"

Kate smiled as they went through the door, "She'll know when I'll need her."

Henry knocked on the door to the apartment, it was on the 23rd floor of a 25 floor building. Henry knocked on the door with a staccato beat she did not catch the first time.

Kate saw the light of the peephole darken and someone unlocked the door. A woman looked over the chain the door, checked the hallway both ways and looked at them. "You are late, get in."

Kate and the man that raised her were taken into the living room. It looked like any other living room. They were led over to the couch.

The woman had shoulder-length black hair and a red shirt under a black vest with dark slacks , and a neutral, business-like, expression.

"No, stand."

Kate was almost on the couch before straightening, "why?"

"Arms out."

Henry and Kate complied. Kate had the impression they would not get anywhere without doing so.

Black-hair pulled out a wand like from the airport and waved it around the two of them, "empty your pockets. Why were you late?"

"Our car broke down on the highway."

Black-hair poked through the contents in their hands and patted them both down. She gave a cursory look at the index, once it was found to her standard she returned it to take. "Give us one reason," She held one finger up to Henry. "one reason and you are out of here and I will make damn sure you'll have no where to hide."

Henry only nodded, Kate could see him clenching his jaw.

"This way." Black-hair pointed down the hall for Henry to go first.

"Ka-I, stay here." He held the folder to his chest like his life depended on it. It probably did, Kate's as well. He took the folder with him.

"Can I sit on the couch now?"

"Go ahead." Black-hair followed Henry further into the apartment.

Kate sat on the couch. Alone. Abbie was having an early lunch on the roof.

A monster came out of the room Kate's father went in, sniffing and snuffling around. Kate watched it silently, slowly taking her dex out of her pocket.

At the same time it stopped sniffing the ground, perked up and looked right at Kate.

_Don't mind me, I'm just visiting,_"I'm not going to hurt you." she held out her hand, holding the dex.

The monster looked at the door black-hair and Henry were in and at her.

She looked it in the eye, _ just sniff my hand_. She tried to move the camera so it was pointing at the monster.

She saw the little red camera indicator turn on, turn green and then go off while the monster sniffed her hand.

The monster came closer to her feet and sat on it's hind legs, looking at her expectantly.

Kate could hear the sound of voices on the other side of the door, but not what they were saying. She pet the four-legged monster behind it's ears.

It was four-legged, short and stocky. Smaller than Abbie, it had red and black striped fur with large white tufts of fur on it's head, under it's chin and behind it's paws. With a fluffy-white tail. It was also closing it's eyes with happiness from the petting.

She tried a few other places, like under the chin and rubbing it's back. In no time she was rubbing it's belly and shaking a paw. It rolled over and rippled the fur on it's back. So Kate stroked the fur there was well.

After less than a few minutes of this, the monster looked to one of the doors and only paid Kate half it's attention. She looked up as a door was slammed open and a man ran into the room Henry was in.

The monster barked and followed after. Kate went in behind, shoving the dex in her pocket.

"They're here! Lex saw them."

Black hair looked-up from her dad's folder. There was another woman behind a laptop computer. As well as a man on a couch, using his phone to text or something.

Black-hair, closed the folder and looked at Henry, "You! I knew it." she pulled something out of the desk the laptop was sitting on and pointed it at Henry.

The others followed suit and then there were four gnus pointed at her father.

-End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7  Trouble in Celadon

**Chapter 7 – Trouble in Celadon**

"Dad! No!"

Henry threw his arms up, "I didn't bring them here, please!" Henry sounded desperate and scared.

Kate did not know what to do, "dad..."

"Joe, get her out of here," the blonde with the computer waved at the man in the doorway with the hand not holding a gun.

"C'mon, kid." He took Kate by the shoulder and out away his gun. Trying to pull her back to the living room.

"Dad!"

"They couldn't have known. You have to believe me." Henry was begging.

"Shut-up and don't move. Sandra, pass the cuffs. They're here, we don't have much time."

"Dad!" the walls were closing in on her. They had finally found safe-haven and it was falling apart in their hands.

A zapping noise filled the living room as Abbie appeared. Joe let go of Kate in surprise, she used the opportunity to run to her father.

"Hey!" He went to grab his gun but Abbie disappeared to make a cluster with Henry and Kate.

"Don't shoot! She's just a kid!"

"Don't shoot damnit!"

Kate hugged her father close and he held her as well. She wasn't sure if it was her heat beat or his that was filling her ears. It was not the only thing she could hear.

_Nother,iwontletakidgethurtinthis--theyrealmostherewhatdoIdo?---The danger here is passing, but trouble is coming closer._

In the chaos, Kate could sense her father and Abbie was heard above the others. A familiar voice helped push away the cacophony and remember how to push it away.

Abbie was still there. Listen, listen for the trouble.

Kate looked inward. There was still shouting, but the guns were not pointing at anyone for the moment. She ignored the spoken arguing and listened for the danger Abbie was talking about.

_Toast-_ No, that wasn't it.

_As long as they think he brought them, Jody'll never know. So much for her underground train._ That was it and it was coming from someone in the room.

"Stop, please. Don't hurt my dad. Jody?" Kate turned to the woman not named Sandra. "My dad did not bring them here, please believe me. I think someone here betrayed us all."

Sandra changed hands with her gun and kept it pointed at the ceiling. "You think? Are we going to hinge everything on a kid who thinks something?"

"Why are we not cuffing this guy to the sink and getting the hell out of here?" the guy from the couch gestured with his gun, but also kept it pointing up.

"Lex is bugging. They're heading into the building. We need to go. Now, Jody."

"I don't think, I know, please. It wasn't my dad, it was one of you." Kate tried to concentrate.

"Don't listen to her Jody. She's with Them. Let's just lock-them up already."

Kate squeezed her dad's arm when he pointed the gun at her and her father.

"George, I'm not the one with a gun pointed at a kid." Jody put her gun away. "Sandra, pack-up, we're getting out of here in less than two minutes. I'll take the handcuffs"

Whoever it was was being guarded. The fear of being shot was overtaking her gift. The last thing she caught was a slot machine and some table covered with monsters shaped like pocket-balls.

"They gamble, please don't shoot." Her eyes were wet, she did not want to die or her dad to get hurt.

Joe and Jody found their weapons quickly. "How?- George! You _were_ lying about your gambling problem."

"She's lying. They're working with Them, trying to break us apart."

Abbie, we need to get the gun away from him.

Sandra already had the laptop bagged and slung over her shoulder, "We don't have time for this."

Jody had her weapon trained on George with Joe, "They are working on something new, gathering-up kids that are not like the others. Kids what can do things no one can explain. You, George, I wanted to trust, that you had solved the problem on your own, and had not gone to one of the ,many loan sharks that all work for Them. Right now I find it easier to believe that that kid has a dad trying to break apart the group that is gathering-up kids like her for Moltres-knows what so that she is not disappeared too. Joe-"

With a Zap! Abbie was around the room. George was looking at Jody, his gun was pointed at Kate and Henry. Abbie teleported to Joe and moved the gun away from him with another zap. It fired into a wall on the other side, when Abbie placed the object on the ground.

At the same time, Joe and Jody fired at the sound, but they still had a vestige of loyalty to George, they both missed. Or the surprise of the monster's movements, whichever it was it was theirs to decide.

Everyone missed and George no longer had a weapon.

George shouted after them from the bathroom. "I needed the money. They only know about this apartment. I mean it. I just needed the money!"

They left him shouting and handcuffed to the u-bend in the sink.

"I just needed the money!"

Joe tossed the window casement on the couch before checking-out the fire escape.

"How long do you think it will take him to find out his own weight will rip-out the sink?" Sandra asked Jody.

"Asshole nearly ruined everything. We need to call Ryan and tell him George was a rat. People don't just walk away from addictions like that."

"Clear. Wait, there's a pile of vans at the bottom. Do you hear the police?"

"Yes, so let's go up then. And figure this out. Growlithe, go up and look for danger." Jody's monster yipped and hopped onto the fire escape. Making noise heading up and yipped some more. Jody went up right after.

Joe waved everyone else out the large window before following.

"What was that?" Kate tried to look back inside.

Joe goaded her further up the fire escape, "Someone's knocking. Jody! They're here!"

Everyone rattled the rest of the way up the fire escape. Abbie's claws made a scraping sound on the metal.

Kate tried not to look down. She could not believe how high they were. A lot of buildings in Celadon were higher, but they were the glass skyscrapers that had no fire escape on the side. This one looked like it went down to a large balcony, not all the way down the building.

"Go, go." Joe was fiddling with a box on the fire escape and pulling a wire across the steps before coming up behind.

"What?"

Joe waved Kate ahead instead of answering.

Sandra paced on the roof. "Now what?"

Jody recalled her monster and put it in a pocket. "Usually we have more time. Usually we are not arguing at gunpoint. And Sandra?"

"What?"

"George was the escape strategy."

"Augh! That fucking douchebag! He's the reason we're in this mess! If it wasn't for what he's done, I would have shot him dead in that bathroom! Dead!"

They were all on the roof by now. Kate was looking around, there were a few buildings as short as this one, but most were taller.

Henry was there, looking around nervously, still holding that bi folder.

"Hey, kid. What's the range on that monsters teleport?"

Kate looked from Jody to Abbie, "Abbie?"

Remember when I moved you and Henry? I slept for hours.

"What about that building? It's a lot closer than that station off the highway."

Abbie looked from the other rooftop to the group. One at a time.

"Abbie's saying she can do one at a time nearby."

Joe and Sandra exchanged looks. Out of context it sounded a little crazy. But out of context they would not have been running from a giant crime syndicate.

"Different rooftops. If we spilt-up, we'll be harder to track down. George might have told them everything about us. But not about you, kid."

"My name is-"

"No, just get started. Abbie, take Sandra."

"Jody..."

"Beyond the sea, Sandra. Guard that computer with your life." Jody squeezed Sandra's hand before Sandra disappeared.

"I wiped the place while you and Sandra locked-up the traitor. The police could track us, but They can't. Not beyond that."

"Go to ground Joe. Today we leave the greener pastures for a harder place. One day we'll see each other again. But I have to clean-up the damage George has done."

Joe nodded before he disappeared.

"You run a tight ship. Is it still too late for this?" Henry held out the folder.

A bang like a gun shot came from below. Then two more close together.

"My team is scattered to the wind and the last found his betrayal just got him a quick death. But I know another. Lavender, find the one nicknamed Petal. But don't go asking around, she's listed. She will help you find a use for that folder." Jody patted Kate on the shoulder, "Thanks kid. I have-"

The building was rocked by an explosion on the outside. Including the sound of screeching metal.

"Joe's mines. Let's go."

Jody disappeared with Abbie. Abbie came back right away. Kate and Henry heard the sound of a man screaming not to be let go before he let out a scream that faded away, probably to his death.

Away from danger.

Kate held Abbie close and Henry held them both as they disappeared from the rooftop and away from the danger coming from below.

"Pull him out here, in the middle." The team leader was directing the last of the clean-up. Their spotter had observed the clean get-a-way and the mole had outlived any usefulness.

It is hard for a meth-lab to go up in a fire fight if there is no one dead to leave behind.

"Are you sure there is nothing left for us?" The female team leader demanded of their sniffer.

"Nothing for us, they had warning." The sniffer recalled it's monster, after not finding anything of use.

"Of course they had warning, or they would not have gotten away. Are we live?"

The man manipulating the maintenance cart that looked like a chemistry set on wheels nodded.

"Alright, clear the scene." She used her radio, "did you get visual?"

"Ten-four, chief." He shifted his weight and looked in the scope. He watched the tall woman disappear, his camera was hooked-up to the scope so he was able to get good head shots of everyone.

It was up to base to figure out if any of them would be useful. His job was taking photos, not being an analyst.

When the ringleader disappeared, the monster's 'port was so loud he could almost hear it himself. Then he heard it again. _Wait, both of those were right behind-_

Jody had her gun out on seeing the sniper on the rooftop in front of her. All in black with a bullet-proof vest on.

"What? You-"

She shot him before he could finish rolling over. His gun was on the ground next to his scope.

As his unprotected face was altered by the introduction of several shots to his head, she saw that his sniper-rifle was just a digital camera attached to a high-powered lens that looked like a gun scope.

She put her gun away with mild regret and scooped up the camera. She hardened her regret when she saw the private security badge on his vest. Not police. The red almost-cross and arc. He was a watcher, but he was one of them.

_When you get your next chance at life, find other work. You'll live longer._ Jody showed herself off of the rooftop. Camera in tow, first chance she got she was going to leave the lens and this gun behind. Somewhere They could not build a better record of her.

Once out of the building, she was going to send messages to her contacts. She did not know the other leaders in Celadon personally, but without knowing how much George told Them, they were all compromised for the time being.

First, was getting herself out. Then the others. Then rebuilding. But first, she had to get to the lobby safely. In case the spotter was not alone.

The last sign of something amiss was the booming from her building. Too loud for the last of the mines, it was a pillar of smoke bleeding out of the building and rising to the sky. She would probably see the official spin on things on the news later. If she had the chance to stop.

Without any more hesitation, she headed down and out.

Near the end of the day, Lana pulled into the garage attached next to the building. It protected the car from inclement weather, but there was no door inside it going directly inside.

Tom came right out at the sound of her pulling into park. To help her with the groceries.

"Some other people came, while you were out Lana."

She nearly fumbled the bags coming out of the trunk. "Yeah?"

"Don't worry. I don't think this is a dead-end job, by the way. But I know trouble when I see it. They acted like policemen, asked liked police. But did not have badges. I know trouble when I see it."

Lana dropped the bag she was lifting, "How much did you hear?"

"Careful, I hope those aren't the eggs." He checked the bag before lifting it to Lana's hand, "Enough to know someone was running from trouble. And Trouble troubled us. If we scientists don't look out for each other, the rest of the world is going to gobble us whole. Even hiding behind an NDA, he's one of us."

Lana took a deep breath and tried to ease herself before picking up more bags. "But what did you tell them?"

"Sienna is much closer to the accident, right?"

She nodded as they went inside. A Venomoth was taking in the last on the sunlight on the roof.

"So, what do we do about the missing kids?"

"What can two geologists do from a weather station in the woods? Cut-off from everybody. How many kids in the forest do we get around here anyway? The new kids head straight for Pewter and the old kids are heading for the Plateau."

"We should do something though."

Lana shrugged. What could they do? She patted the pocket she kept the nugget in out of habit. Right now it was nestled in Kate's pocket. It was not actually lucky, but she had kept it the last few months just the same. She hoped it would reassure 'Emma" in the troubles to come.

"I think, for now, we've done all we can, Tom."

"I hope we have done all we can. But I feel pretty useless here though."

"Me too, Tom."

-End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8 The Terminal

**Chapter 8**

"Dad, look!" Kate pointed up at the smoking ruin that was the apartment.

Henry led Kate away from the crowd at the base of the building they just came out of. Abbie was in her pocket and Kate did not want Charlie loose when things were so tense.

"Let's go, I'd like to find somewhere safe right now."

"Me too, I need to see how my son's ding at school."

Kate, and Henry were away from the onlookers and crowds shortly.

"What do we do now dad?"

"We head to Lavender town. It's only half a country away, we'll be fine."

"Dad, not now."

"Sorry. I just, I... I need to think.."

They walked together, deeper into the city. Kate looked around. Feeling a bit lonely with Abbie asleep.

Henry stopped for a moment to rub his temples, "all this noise is not letting me think!" They were stopped outside a casino. Bright flashing lights and noise.

"Not here dad, let's stop somewhere else. Anywhere else."

"What? Okay, let's go."

Kate followed her father past the casino. The buildings opened up further down the street.

There was a small lake or a large pond near the centre of the city. Filled in to control the shore. Now it looked like a large pool, paved and with floating pants.

A giant Magikarp pond, with a normal looking house by the edge.

"This looks peaceful." Kate sat on the edge, watching the monsters swim by.

Henry had his bag in his lap, the second-most important thing in his life was carried inside. He just had to figure out how to get to Lavender.

Kate watched the Magikarp looking back at her. One became two. Are you lonely in there? They did not know how to listen anyway.

_Hungry_.

Kate lifted her foot. She went through the shield exercise on reflex. She did not want to fall.

Several things went through her mind. One of them was the Growlithe that did not know how to listen. The other was that maybe Abbie was not being loud enough.

Can you hear me?

The group that had formed scattered beyond sight in the lake.

One of the fish wavered a bit and then darted after the others.

All she could see under the surface was stems of flowers leading up to the surface. Less than thirty feet away the sunlight blocked her from seeing into the water any further away. The sun was low and touching the buildings to the west. In Viridian there would still be time before sunset. Maybe, there were mountains west of Virdian.

She picked a spot under the water to stare at, needing to stop for a moment to concentrate. She could feel the press and sounds of the city creep in on her.

_We'regoingtobelateforthecontest -Outofmyway- How much longer till the bus gets here? - Something spooked the karp . . ._

Kate was able to push it away before it could overwhelm her. And this time Abbie was not around to help. It made her feel a little better that she could do it on her own.

She felt something on her shoulder and looked up.

Henry was standing beside her, with his hand on her shoulder. "Get up, I have an idea."

Kate followed Henry from the lake, pond, and to the street. "What is it dad?"

"There's something that could work in Saffron. I'm sure it won't go up in smoke like here."

"That did not answer the question."

"I don't want to get your hopes up. If we take the bus now, the family shelters doors will be closed in that city. So we'll find a place here for the night and go first thing. Okay?"

"Okay."

Kate was sprawled over her bed, Abbie was asleep beside her, sitting on a blanket and leaning against the cot.

Henry finished scrubbing his teeth and rinsed his out in the little sink in the room. His bed was the same as Kate's. Except he would be laying over the edge if he did not curl up in it.

The family shelter was definitely not what he was used to, though their timing was very good or the place would have run out of rooms. The alternative was paying with what little money he had left or the street.

Back in Viridian, he had withdrawn what he could before being noticed. His credit cards, his savings. A sizable chunk of it went to bogus paperwork for him and Kate. The index being her trainer ID and passport was the most expensive. At least after bribing his way past trouble a the lab and to a contact for the Underground.

Not paying for a place to sleep would help them along longer. He just hoped that things did not get worse.

_I helped them do those things to those kids. I saw that it could work. I don't think they really need me anymore. You run for a chance at a normal life Kate. I run to make sure you have that chance._ Henry yawned. He had had next to no sleep talking to Lana the night before.

He yawned again and looked out the window. He could see the lights over the Casino from here. He tossed the thought away as soon as make it. Gambling could get them more money, but the cost is what they had left. Something they could not afford right now. In a better world, he could have partitioned off a bit of money that he could accept not getting back.

A world where he did not have to run in fear of being caught. Or use the bank. The cost was too high.

He placed his glasses on the sink, here was no nightstand and the lamp was attached to the wall. Turning off the lamp, he lay down slowly, trying not to make any noise that could wake up the others. He lay there for a few minutes, looking at the black window. Thinking of her mother. He fell asleep that way, slipping under before he realized. All the short nights lately. Running before he left, running hard now. This could be the best night of sleep he had had in weeks if not months.

His last thought was thinking of her mother. And the burden she had trusted him with. The little bundle of joy.

Something beeped.

Something else beeped. The murmur of voices in the halls was swallowed by the curtain being drawn.

"Mommy?"

"Go see your father, he's talking with the doctor-man in the hall."

The little brunette ducked under the curtain in the room and into the hall. "Daddy?"

The little four-year-old was out of his mind as he saw her.

Amelia had dark brown hair and a long face, with a pale complexion that looked lighter than usual. Her nose had a slight upturn that did not look snobby when she looked at you. A kind face with a closed demeanour. Keeping to herself but glad to see you kind of way. She sat under some blankets on the hospital bed.

Her hands were cupped around a white foam cup. Both hands around a cup of juice.

"Come in Henry, come in." Her marriage had not killed her smile. That little smile that made you think it was jsut for you. She always smiled like that though.

"You asked to see me Mrs. Giorno."

"Called me Amelia Henry. And yes, I did. My husband is giving us a moment." She tucked a loose lock of her shoulder-length hair behind her ear. "Things are not going well."

"You've talked to the doctor?"

"No, call it mother's intuition. That and it is like my worst menstrual cycle of all."

Henry looked away from embarrassment.

It would have seemed that she was going to laugh. She did not, only grimaced for a moment.

"Is it bad?"

"For a biologist, you- you specialized in monsters did you not?"

"Er, yes."

"To put it bluntly, Henry. I am dying. Something went wrong. Something very good of it came of it. But something is wrong and the doctors cannot fix it." She lifted the hand that had a lead to the blood bag. "This is keeping me going until they give me the news. But I can tell. My life is leaking out of me slowly and they cannot stop it."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I asked you to be here as a favour to me. A last favour. It is a wonder I can even have this conversation with you Henry. It wasn't easy, she was so eager to get here early. But I digress."

The conversation was halted by the nurse wheeling in with a cart. "You asked to see her?"

Amelia nodded the male nurse and he brought the bundle from the top of the cart. "Here's your little bundle of joy.

He lifted the baby into Amelia's arms, she could hold it once it was in her arms. She held the baby to her chest. The baby murmured in pleasure.

"Leave us, please?"

The nurse nodded happily and wheeled the empty cart away.

"I need someone to take care of her when I am gone. Someone I can trust to raise her away from the family. "

She held the baby close and touched the little pink cap it was wearing. The prenatal hair had not fallen out yet, poking out dark black like her father.

"Arrangements have already been made for her sister. But I can have this much. Raised away from the hustle and bustle of the family, he prefers it that way." She smiled a little.

Henry did not argue, "I know we know each other, but I'm not married. I don't know how to raise a child. Remember, biology, not really people."

She smiled that special smile again, "Arrangements have been made. The family facility away from the city, you can work there undisturbed and there will be caregivers for her. Taking care of the baby will be handled. I just need someone to raise her."

"I understand. I, just, why me? I know we've known each other for a long time. And you trust me."

"I do."

"But why did you choose me?"

"Because I can get my husband to agree with me for it to be you. And most importantly, I can trust you to raise her the way I need you to."

"I will try."

"That's all you need to promise. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to breastfeed my daughter one more time."

"I will leave you to it, but uh, I did not get her name."

"Katherine, her name is Katherine."

"I'll give you a moment, ask for me when we can talk again."

"I will." He left Amelia to it, passing her husband in the hall.

He was looming over the doctor, even though they were eye level to each other. The doctor kept shaking his head at the man and he was getting angrier and angrier at the doctor for saying no.

Henry turned to talk to him, but kept going when he caught the man's eye and got a deep scowl.

He headed for the break room and left them too it.

Henry had been afraid when he had been called to the hospital on short notice. A part of him had fallen in love with her when they had met. But it could not have been then, when she was married, or now with her dying.

The couple really loved each other and the father cared for his older daughter. Henry saw the way his boss acted around his firsts daughter. He was who he was but he was a family man as well. Master of many forms, but this one was the most legit.

If he was as good a father as he was a businessman, those girls were going to be very happy. Or at least the older sister was going to be. Henry made his way to the nearest break room in the maternity ward and made a pile of parenthood pamphlets and things for himself. No better time than right now to get started.

Kate looked up at the ceiling, she left her leg dangling over the edge of the cot. The sky out the little window was starting to lighten at the edges.

It was so much clearer than other dreams. She could remember the sharp smell of the hospital room, hiding the tang of blood underneath. The quiet, the grey walls and blue curtain.

Most of all, she could remember her mother. The hair and the kind face. Her nose. Kate touched her own nose in the dark. She had her mother's nose.

There had been other dreams, other imaginings. Dreams with an unclear face, different words and gone five minutes after waking.

Kate looked at the other bed, the man that had raised her was deep asleep. Those other dreams of her mother, she had been herself. This was the first dream of her mother where she had stood as someone else. Memories of those dreams were gone, but the impression remained if she thought about it long enough.

This one she would think on and treasure. She wiped her eyes as Abbie shifted. The feeling of the dream was slipping away. It made her sad, but she wanted to treasure that too.

She had grown-up with her mother always being gone. With all the chaos, her mother's burial had slipped her mind.

It was like she was losing her mother all over again, now that she knew what she had lost. And why.

Abbie woke up this time, and helped Kate sit down beside her. Abbie knew what she needed without saying.

Kate sat there to dawn, Abbie giving her a shoulder to cry on. The support made it easier for Kate to keep it down and not wake her father.

"She's gone, Abbie," Kate whispered, "And she's never coming back." Kate whispered and whimpered quietly into Abbie's shoulder.

_I killed her. I killed her by being born. It's my fault._

It is not your fault.

It is, Abbie. Without me, she would be alive.

You did not choose this, it is not your fault.

But-

It is not your fault. IT is not my fault for being hatched either. We just are.

Kate wiped her eyes for nothing. But the sobs were fading away. I miss her. I miss her a lot.

I miss my nest-mates. All of us have lost something.

Kate hugged Abbie back., wiping her eyes. Thank you Abbie.

I do what I can. We are all outside together.

Kate smiled, she meant 'we are all in this together.' Or maybe she meant outside the pocket-ball, together?

Are you sad anymore?

Not for now.

Good. Never forget the sadness, but do not let it overwhelm you.

I'll try Abbie.

There is not try Kate. Just do.

Okay Abbie. I wonder when we go for the bus.

I am not sure, he is deep asleep.

I could go back to bed, maybe he is dreaming of my mother again?

No. I did not know you could listen, not without permission.

But how do I know when to ask?

There are ways. I do think that most people could answer or would want others looking around inside.

The word people was charged with 'not just humans.' I would not want anyone looking without permissions. But of course you can.

I know how to ask and you know how to answer.

I do? I mean, of course you can. But you have more to teach me.

You need to leave the sad place behind more. But we can talk today. I will try to teach you.

There is no try Abbie.

Abbie chuckled, her vulpine face shaking a little with laughter.

That's good. I wonder what dad planned for breakfast? We can ask when he wakes up.

Henry rolled over in the bed, hardly stirring. His pillow was wet but his eyes were no longer tearing in his sleep.

Henry brushed his teeth, after the breakfast of trail food.

"Dad, what does my mother look like?"

He paused, spitting out the used tooth paste in his mouth, "A bit like you, but darker hair. Why do you ask?"

"I think I dreamed of her last night."

"Oh, again? I had one of her too. I-" He spat out the last bit. "Did you? I know the others could... Dis you read my mind?"

"I didn't mean to dad! I keep having this nightmare and I think I was trying for anything but."

"Come here," he held her reassuringly, "It's okay, you did not mean to. You are just growing up. Things happen, you are still learning, right?"

"Abbie is helping me."

"Yes, she is," He smiled at the monster.

Abbie turned her head to look up at him, then back at Kate.

He did not expect anymore of her, "Look, you are still learning. And you're a good kid, a very good kid. You sjut need to remain responsible. And don't tell anyone. Ever, okay?"

"I know dad. Not anyone." _Except Josh. I wonder what he's doing right now?_

"Just remember what you have is special okay?" He bent down to hold her by the shoulders again.

"I know dad."

"From what I read, those kids are very special. Like you. And not in the 'everyone is special' kind of way parents say to their kids to make them feel better. No, Kate, you have a gift. A different gift. One you can do anything with. Anything. Just imagine it and you can do it. Just imagine."

"I will Dad."

"Oh, wait, that's the time!" He was looking at his watch to be sure. "Leave the garbage, we gotta go!"

"I slept in, I was tired. Come on!"

Henry jogged for the bus terminal. Kate was able to keep up, Abbie beside her. Charlie was in her pocket.

"I'm running as fast as I can dad!"

He skidded to a stop. The other two stopped with him. He unfurled the map.

"Abbie, we are here" He jabbed at the map, "The bus terminal is here. Can you do this? The next bus that goes as far as Saffron doesn't leave until sundown. The sooner we leave here the better. Okay? Kate?"

Kate looked from Abbie to Henry, "She can. How soon does the bus leave?"

"In twenty minutes, but we missed three buses while I slept. I don't even know why I was getting us to run for it."

"Dad, get close."

With a Zap! They were gone. Someone walking by jumped with surprise.

"Trainers. In my day, we saved up for apricorn pocket-balls and did not scare innocent elders by zapping around every which way. Like you!" The older man pointed a finger at a passing-by kid.

The kid rolled her eyes at the man and moved on.

-End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9 The Road to Saffron

**Chapter 9 – the Road to Saffron**

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I saw him. He had the girl in tow. Are they in trouble or something?"

"It's just a family matter," The man remarked to the check-in attendant. "We're just trying to bring the family back together."

"They looked like they were leaving in a hurry. Sorry I don't know where they were heading."

"It's alright." He tucked the photos away. They had been blown-up and enhanced for clarity. Why have one spotter when you can have more to confirm an operation? He gave her his disarming smile and left.

"Target acquired. Check transportation in the area. Recommend bus terminals."

**Roger. Control, copy?**

He put down the hand with the remote in the sleeve. He knew this town, had been operating here for a while. The impression was the target had not rented a car. Even though the funds withdrawn could have done so. The target had gone to ground immediately.

A happy accident had turned into a dead end. All those found had gone to ground. One of the spotters had not outlived the day and they had pictures of everyone. He hoped her was above killing children for the mission and was glad of the no-kill order on the targets. They might die anyway, but it wold be someone with more responsibilities than him. Possibly less morals, but not himself.

They could go in any direction from Celadon. It seemed very unlikely they would go back the way they came. But it was not his place to guess. Move forward, take orders, don't kill. He got into the car where his partner was waiting.

"I heard. I-"

**Target aquired. West Terminal.**

The first man looked at his partner, "Let's go."

"Not on the bus!"

"But she won't hurt anybody, really. She's nice and neat!"

"Not on my bus. Put it away."

Kate sighed, "Dad?"

Abbie touched her shoulder. I'll be all right. We can talk when we arrive.

"Kate-" Henry tried to speak.

"No, it's okay. Come on Abbie." She put Abbie away. Feeling lonely already.

"Let's get on the bus."

"Okay dad."

The bus silently left the terminal a few short minutes later.

Kate looked out the window in the back row, two guys were trying to catch-up with the electric bus. "look dad, someone else was late. She could hear them rapping the side of the bus as it accelerated.

"Not on my watch." the driver changed kept going out of the terminal. "Never been late to Saffron, never will."

Kate watched the two guys get left behind and go out of sight as the bus got onto the road and left it behind.

The men had been in every-day clothes, normal shoes and their faces were fresh and unparticular.

"You okay with Abbie in your pocket?"

"Yeah. We left trouble behind in Celadon. But I don't think it's over."

"We got away Kate. But we are still here, alive. It will never be over for me as long as that is true."

Kate did not now what to say, so she said nothing and let the words sink in for some minutes. It was not long before they left the city behind.

It was strange. A city so large and so tall and so dense went from clean skyscrapers to light farm with forest to light forest.

The bus was one more vehicle on the road.

Kate had her head against the window, idly watching it do the tunnel thing where you could almost see through the window glass to the end of the pane, and nothing else. Sometimes she could see her own face in the window. Trying to imagine her mother. Everything else was lost, she would have to see the dream again in her sleep to remember anything else.

She tried to surreptitiously wipe the eye on the window side, so her dad would not see. It worked.

Henry was bowed over some papers. He was sribbling something down, scatching some out and going over it again. He looked busy and occupied.

She wrote the name on the window with her finger. There was no condensation to write in. But at some angles she could see a letter or two.

**Amelia. Amy. Emma?**

Emma could be a derivation of Amelia. _So what was Gaines from?_

She toyed with the trace amounts of grease on her fingers and the window until it was too messy to make anything out. Looking straight on you could see nothing. But when she wiped it there was still a blur of grease. Then could could write more, at an angle it was a different refraction of grease. She could still write.

She was bored of writing, so she went on to patterns. Little whorls surrounding a tunnel . Working off into smaller shaped until her finger was too large to make out the detail.

The bus lurched, pulling everyone forward and out of their seat.

"Hey! Watch it, I'm driving here dipshit!" The driver picked up speed again after cussing at some driver.

"Did you see, dad?" Kate had her arms bracing the seat in front of her. She put them back in her lap.

"I'm busy, hold on." He was trying to fish the notepad from the floor, making sure he had everything and found the pencil, "Um, no. Not from back here." Satisfied her had everything back, he settled again in his seat.

Kate did not let the boredom weaken her shield. If anything it was easier now that they were out of the city.

She did let her thoughts wander, a little. Forgetting Abbie's advice for a moment, she tried thinking of the head in the seat in front of her. Not letting the shield slip, exactly, more reaching through it.

_Ten minutes now to Azo. I hope it can wait until we get to the terminal._

Kate leaped back at the thought, his thought, of the bodily function that had to wait for squeamishness about the bathroom on the bus.

_It could not be that bad._ Kate decided to wait anyway. Maybe just one more. Across the aisle in the bus.

_This is boring. I hope they get off soon. Just so I can call it in. Can't even listen to the radio. I should have used the bathroom in Celadon . . ._

Kate pulled back again, in fear not revulsion. 'They' was her and her father. _Which one?_ She looked around, there were three people she had not quite decided on. Bored, they were bored.

So was all three of them. It had a certain feel to it though. She tried again and found it quickly. Her. A kindly, plain, woman in a sweater.

_I'm a woman, I can't hold it like the men can. Men!_

Yeah, it was her for sure. But how long did they have until the woman could not hold it anymore.

_Red chests, red hearts._ The memory of the dream snuck up on her. She hardened her shield by reflex. But it still took a few moments to get away from the creepy-crawling feel on her skin. Knowing what was causing it made it worse.

_I will find you and get you out. I promise._

Red would be the wrong word to describe the woman. Colour entered into it, but it was like a colour-blind person seeing colour for the first time. It was all one colour bleeding into the next. She needed time to separate the colours. The them her father was talking about though. Them. They had a signature.

This woman was just looking out for their stop. She did not wish them any harm.

The men that got the haven on the news, the apartment that was framed as a drug den. The people who had been there and killed the George-guy. They had meant Kate and Henry and Sandra and Joe and Jody dead. They were trouble.

The people in her dreams? They had watched, took part, done nothing or been in charge. Kate rubbed her arms to reassure herself. Those people had meant harm through action or inaction, they were trouble.

This woman was not trouble, now. But she meant something and was helping one of Them.

Kate looked back out the window. She had nearly looked the woman in the eye.

They were too close. The woman was less than four-seat-widths away. She would hear them talking. Especially if Kate hurriedly explained the Henry what was going on.

So she waited. They were still not on the first hour to Saffron. The longest Kate had ever held it was three hours, laying in bed, half-asleep. Even with a grown-up bladder, on a bumping bus and sitting up there's no way she could last as long.

Kate just had to hope that she could get Henry off the bus in the time it took the woman to use the tiny bathroom.

Josh huddled in the back of the cave. Butterfree was waving the smoke out the entrance so they could breath more clearly. He sat by the fire, huddling beside Bulbasaur and Spearow for the warmth from the fire. The night was cold and his sleeping bag did not feel warm enough on the cave floor.

Bulbasaur used one of it's vines to nudge a log back into the fire at Josh's direction. It had been eager before, gathering dead fall from the forest floor for a fire for the night. Now the one in the group with any significant energy left was Butterfree. If josh was not so cold, he would have been jealous.

He thought of Kate, and her guardian. He could still remember the woman's expression, trying to chase him away. He missed Kate and wished she was here with him. She had the kind of unshakable optimisim that would make a cold night outdoors tolerable.

Josh hoped she was okay, he had tried to visit her but she was under close supervision in a coma and her female guardian had kept him away. He had been able to use his youthful charms on a doctor to find out that it did not look good. It had not looked like anything the doctor could be sure of her ever waking up.

He had already promised her, promised himself, that he would come back after getting a few badges and some more monsters. Then they could adventure together and by then there would be no more cold nights because he would find a fire monster by then, for sure.

He had to find one eventually. Josh did not want to think about a night like this in the middle of winter. A fire monster for sure.

"Hssst, Dad." She kept her voice low.

"What is it sweetheart?" He did not look up from his notepad and answered in a low volume.

"Trouble, dad, we have to go."

"Trouble? Where?"

"They're on the toilet, let's go now." She got her father into the aisle and down to the front.

The bus driver frowned at them as they came to the front, "sir, please sit down while the bus is in motion."

"We're getting off, bus driver. Sir."

"The next stop is not for a few-"

Kate slipped between the seat and her father, "now, we're getting off now." she stopped blinking and the world narrowed to her and the driver.

The driver kept his eyes on the road but came to a stop at a green light, after what felt like a long time to Kate. Noises from the others on the bus tried to fill her head at that, but she pushed it away before it overwhelemed her, all in a few moments from looking at the driver.

"Here's your stop," the driver openned the door and Kate dragged Henry off the bus. Which stayed at the light since it was already changing yellow.

Kate patted the two pockets holding her monsters as Henry put away the notepad in his bag.

They both watched the light change and the bus drive away down the road.

"You have good instincts, what kind of trouble did you see on the bus?"

"Someone was watching us. I think we've been followed since we got on the bus. Dad, are we ever going to get away from the trouble?"

"The world is a big place. This is one country, there are others. Whole islands, cities and countries where we don't have to run or hide. Where we can sleep comfortably and in peace."

"Where is that dad? Can we go there now?"

"I have things to do first. One or two things. So I can rest easy when we finally get away." He started down the street towards the township attached to the others around Saffron City.

Kate followed, "What things do you need to do?"

"Mett with Jody's friends mostly, they're in Lavender though. They know how to use what I know. Can't trust the internet or fax..."

Henry faded off as he went deep into thought. Follwing the road away from the highway and deeper into town.

Kate left him, she knew that look. Henry liked to consider problems from many angles and sometimes it took a while for him to be satisfied. He did better if he was not interupted and Kate did not want to dsiturb him from trying to solve their problems.

She knew she did not have enough information to act on her own. She could see trouble coming but not knowing anything other than to run or stay away was no help. Without a fullness of understanding she would be running the rest of her life and it did not sound like a good way to live.

They were a team. Including Abbie.

At the thought, she pulled the ball out of her pocket and released Abbie from the device. And Charlie. She smiled at them both and made they procession heading for lunch.

She did not want to disturb her father by talking and tried talking to them silently.

Abbie, how are you after your nap?

Better. I am rested. Not that there is anything else to do. Charlie, as you call him, he is young.

Kate reached out and Charlie went under her hand. Putting it's head under her arm.

Kate held her finger too her mouth and shushed him, pointing to Henry.

Charlie looked between her and Henry, thoughts blaring from the front of his mind. Are you my mommy?

Kate's lips twisted. She wanted to think that this was not typical thoughts for a new monster. No I am not your 'mommy,' but I will take care of you. Like Abbie. Abbie's name was more than a word, it was more than words, thoughts sounds and feelings that stichted together to an understanding that Charlie ate up. I'm not your mom, but we are family now.

Charlie semeed to like that and trundled with them happily along the road.

They went on this way, Kate conversing silently. Abbie reminding her to keep up her shield, especially around large groups of people. It was getting easier in the short time she had been trying but doing anything else was competing with her shield. Abbie and Charlie had her attention until they stopped for something to eat.

With the monsters keeping her attention, she hardly noticed when she had ramen, her monster friends had snacks and Henry had a bottle of water.

"Aren't you eating dad?"

"Next stop."

"Okay."

"Kate, I found out that the local buses go to Saffron. It'll take longer than the road bus but we'll get to town that way. Maybe in time for dinner."

"Okay."

Henry was occupied himself, he was full of plans and contingencies and a couple of hopes. He saw Kate be silent an occupied but had no idea of the conversations going one between her and the monsters. Or how no barriers to communication would build closeness quickly. All the subtleties to the relationship Kate was having with her monsters was flying right by Henry and the people around them, Kate was already taking it for granted.

Henry finished his water and refilled the bottle while he waited for the others to finish their food. In a few hours Henry's next hope would be tested and they would be one step closer to ending this all. His final hope was that when the damage was done they would give up on him and Kate and shift to damage control. He had several hopes but as a scientist he also understood the likellihood of each coming true.

Instead he concentrated on moving forward, not letting the hopelessness of everything crush him to inaction. Kate needed him. If only to not become as cynical as her father, her biological father.

-End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10 Family Means

**Chapter 10 – Family Means Never Turning You Away**

Kate yawned again and put her head against Henry's shoulder again. Her monsters had to be put away for the city bus ad she was dozing against his shouldre as soon as they were seated.

Henry kept alert for trouble and their next stop. Sometimes glancing at the top of her head while she napped.

Kate had a tendency to sleep far longer than seemed healthy. But the doctors he had taken her to had found nothing in her brain, her blood. Her mood or emotions. When she was alert, she was perfectly funtional and attentive. The sleep clinic had found that only some of her time asleep was actually REM sleep in a pattern that appeared to be normal, bokk ended by a light sleeping state that was quick to wake Kate from.

Other than sleeping 12 hours a day or more, if Henry let her, it seemed to more be a case of her taking after her monster than the other way around. Knowing that danger approached before there was any hint of trouble he could see, Kate took after Abra in many ways. Henry hoped she could continue avoiding the fate he had created for her and people like her.

Humans with gifts that resembled that of a particular type of monster. So what if it was the same type of power? Perhaps human and monsters had a common ancestry. Since they had so much in common, that the research to improve on monter's powers could affect those particular humans. Increase one, the other or both. Be able to control them.

The world wasa big place, with enough people that if something could happen to one person, it could happen to others. Henry did not believe that his superior would have entrusted him with Kate had he known of her potential. Or that the agent sent to take care of the boss' asset, while Henry was busy with work, would find out that Kate qualified for their search for particular people.

Henry was the one to make the connections and aggregate the data to show that it was possible. He had had no idea what his employers would be willing to do to the monsters, the people, the children. Despite the talents being rare, the people his employers had found were children, pre teens and teenagers. He had never seen an adult brain int he results. This was much worse.

"Allen Road."

_Ten more stops, the driver said._ Henry was not the only brilliant mind, in that research. There was a possibility that so many might have been hurt anyway, kidnapped, researched, if he had not figured it out. If so, he might never have figured out what was happening to Kate, or that he needed to get her out of there.

Henry could have come home one day and she would be gone forever and he never would have known where, or why. He had to continue. The police were no help, enough were being paid by people Henry worked for that it was a risk.

He had found the ressitance, people working against organized crime apart from the police. Fighting against them from the underground. If they had his information, they could rip open the organization, save the children and monsters they could then there would be no threats to Kate. The only way to guarantee they got what he had was if he couriered it to them himself. Lavender was still long enough away that he needed a stop in-between.

"Emma? Wake up." He touched her shoulder.

Kate stirred from his hand instead of the name. "Muh? Dad, what?"

"Our stop is coming up. Get up."

"Okay." She yawned and let Henry direct her to the door.

"Batenburg street."

"Here."

They both got off the bus, the sun about to set behind the city's buildings down one street. A patch of sky on the other side was starting to darken.

In a large city like Saffron that had skyscrapers and high rises everywhere, even more than Celadon, night fell a little sooner. The shadow of the setting sun was longer and deeper as it was cast by the buildings rising into the sky.

"Are we going to sleep in this one dad?"

"Hold on." Henry led Kate down the street, looking for the address he had written down right before dumping his cell phone. The street he was looking for was a cul de sac off of Batenburg. A couple of minutes of walking took him to the right street.

Being a dead end, it was not long to find the right high rise building. Providence presented a Growlithe walker leaving the front door as they arrived. Henry grabbed the door and held it open for the monster-walker as she left the building. Sharing a smile between each other, Henry went in and Kate followed behind.

"Who lives here, dad? Someone we know?" She covered her yawn as Henry skimmed through the door call list. Inside, locking, door in his other hand.

"In a minute." He found what he was looking for and went right for the elevator. Henry had been distant a while but was purposeful leading Kate onwards.

If Kate had felt they were in danger she did not doubt that her father would follow her, but here and now Henry knew what was going on so she followed him.

The elevator was large and they were the only two in it going up. Henry pressed the penthouse button and silently watched the numbers count upwards as they rose.

Kate pulled Abbie out of her pocket.

Henry looked down at the movement and waved her to put it away, "Not now. I don't want to disturb the people that live here."

"But the lady had a growlithe out."

"She lives here. Just wait, please?"

Kate stifled a yawn and put Abbie back in her pocket. "I guess."

"Good." He said nothing else as the elevator kept rising.

Kate impatiently waited for the silence to end. The elevator dinged the thirty-fifth floor penthouse before she lost her patience. She stepped into the hallway, Henry right behind, the door shutting behind them and the hum of the elevator disappeared as it was called to a lower floor.

There was a hall way with only two doors in it. So it dd not take Henry more than a few moments to decide which door to knock on. "Emma-Kate. Kate, stay here, okay?" He nudged her to stand behind him. "Let me do the talking, okay?"

Kate nodded as went behind him. Practising her shield, waiting for when she could release Abbie and Charlie.

No one answered the first knock so Henry waited, he seemed to be counting in his head before knocking again.

"Hold-on." Muffled by the door and distance.

A man answered the door, grey hair that was stubornly holding on to the last of the black. Laugh lines on his face. Not elderly but old enough to be Henry's father.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Who is it Peter?"

The man turned back inside, "I'm trying to find that out. Go back to dinner, dear."

"I"m hungry." Answered back from deeper in the apartment.

When the other voice, a woman's voice, did not continue, the man turned back to Henry. "Are you a solicitor? Because I don't want any." His eyes glanced to the folder Henry was holding.

"No. Mr. Gaines? Peter Gaines?"

Kate cocked her head. _Gaines?_

"Yes, what do you want?"

Henry licked his lips, "We have never met, sir. But I know someone you might like to meet." He side stepped and brought Kate to the front. "This is your grand-daughter."

Kate looked up at the man, he looked down at her. Both surprised. Kate was thinking about the name. _Gaines is my mother's name._

Henry was sitting in the kitchen with Peter while Kate, Charlie, Abbie and her grand-mother Harriet sat on the balcony to watch the sunset.

"Were you there? At Ammelia's funeral?"

"There was never really a funeral. Kate was given in to my care soon after."

"That's too bad."

Henry, right away, decided against speaking of Kate seeing memories of her mother and the grave in his mind. Henry would only look unstable to Peter, who was already unsteady taking care of a sick wife. "Do you want to know where she is buried?"

"Oh, I know. It's one of the last things he said to me. Her husband, before he cut us off. I have her Funeral Tablet here. But I've never seen Kate. Only Jocelyn."

"Kate has, never met her."

"Really? Did her father even try to keep the rest of the family together after Amelia died?" Peter was taking awkward pains to not mention his name. His ire came through on the word he was using.

"No. I'm afraid that he blamed everything on Kate and neglected her for it. I don't know why Jocelyn was exempt from this. He made sure she was in the care of someone he could trust with his own daughter. Paid for her, provided, but I think signing some cheques was easier than being her father."

Peter made to rub the tear in his eye look like he was just scratching, "my Amy, she bled from the birth but I am man enough not to blame Kate for it. I wish there were things we could do for other humans like we can for our monsters. Maybe it could turn out differently for someone else's daughter."

"Maybe one day." Henry stifled the wince. _Not today, but maybe one day when no one gets hurt._

"Well, she's here now. We can make up for time lost. Before Harriet needs better care."

"How is she? No, wait. It's your business. I don't want to pry."

"No, it's one of the hazards of getting old. The weird thing is, I'm the young one."

"She looks like she's doing well here." Henry saw the absentmindedness of senility in Harriet when he had entered.

"It's only beginning. A year ago, we had more milk than a whole car. She doesn't go wandering out on her own, but she doesn't remember Emma's passing."

Henry waited for Peter to have a moment. Men were not much for consoling each other, just waiting for the other to remember strength and move on.

Peter did not wait long, "She still knits. I just give her wool and she makes little bits of clothing for Jocelyn and her monsters. Or Amelia's Dratini. She does not want to listen that you can't get clothes on something shaped like an Ekans."

"So she hasn't forgtton her skills. How is her speech?"

"Her diction and pronounciation works. But sometime she forgets what she is saying in the middle of a conversation. No strokes, just forgetful."

"So her current memory goes back to before the last ten years?"

"It's spotty, but the major events go back that far. She's not the same person, I'm just glad that I can go to sleep and trust that she'll be there. I'm too old to go chasing her around the city. Just in case, security already knows to call me if she makes it down to the lobby."

"You have things planned out then."

"I've have a lot of time to do so. And not enough time with my grandchildren."

"Things have been going fast. I'm not sure how long we can stay. I made mistakes too, less recently. But until a short while ago, she thought I was her father."

"Well, if you were her father, then we weren't her grandparents."

"I'm sorry, I made mistakes. I've never raised children before. It was a job, at first. Then when Kate learned how to talk, we grew into each other. She's like a daughter to me and even after finding out I wasn't her father she still treats me like one. And now we're on the road and we watch out for each other. We're a family. And I'm glad she could meet you. But she's never met Jocelyn."

"Does she even know she has a sister? Her father excommunicated her, I mean estranged her, didn't they play as children? She should be sixteen now."

"He kept Kate away at first, not wanting her to grow-up in the shadow his business cast. But when he kept Jocelyn close, his excuses did not hold up. The man put a chasm through his family with him and Jocelyn on one side and everyone else on the other. They never had the chance to grow-up as sisters, only strangers."

The door to the balcony opened and Harriet came in from the balcony. "It's getting cold, can we have some hot chocolate for my little Emma and her grandmother?"

"Sure dear, come into the kitchen and we'll make some for our little girl." Peter gave Henry a meaningful look before going into the kitchen with his wife.

Kate tugged on Henry's sleeve, talking softly, "Dad, it's nice here, but she keeps calling me Emma and asking where Dratini is."

Henry matched her volume, "She's not well. She thinks you are your mother. I, Dratini?"

Kate nodded.

"I think that was her monster."

"Did she only have one?"

"For most people, one is enough. Especially if they don't train them, like you. How is the latest doing? Charlie." He smiled at Abbie, even her monsters had grown on him.

"He's all pent up. Charlie hasn't gotten into any trouble but I want to get him out there walking and exploring. And training."

"Soon Kate, soon. Is there any trouble around? Do you think we need to leave?"

She shook her head.

Something clanked in the kitchen, Peter and Harriet kept up a hubbub in the kitchen.

Kate picked up again, "Not since the bus." She glanced towards the kitchen and dropped to a whisper, "I don't think They know we're here." enunciating the they with a capital T.

"Let me know if that changes. And let's not worry your grandparents, okay?"

Kate nodded again.

"How about some hot chocolate?"

The next day, Henry got up and stretched from sitting in the padded chair. He and Peter had been talking the morning away. Reminiscing about Emma. Both men had known her in different ways and times, so they had a mountain of things they could share without repeating the other.

"It's nice. I never had a chance to talk about Emma like this with Angelo." Peter seemed to have mellowed, talking about his daughter for so long. She had been compassionate and kind as a child and even more so as a mother. It seemed that even after her death, remembering her had an affect on the people who missed her.

"Things seem to be calming down. Maybe Kate and I will stay a little longer."

"Please, stay as long as you like. Won't you tell me what burdens you?"

"It's enough that Kate and I could get the sleep." Henry stretched his legs.

The balcony wrapped around most of the floor. It saw into most of the apartment, but not all at once. Henry did a circut after sitting so long but noticed something going on inside.

It was anough that there was nothing going on inside. No people.

"Hold on, Peter. Kate?"

"Is there something wrong?" Peter followed Henry inside.

"KATE?"

"Where did they go? Harriet was just here. Harriet? Kate?" They both made it to different rooms that were blocked from the balcony. Like the bedrooms and the bathrooms.

"KATE? Where are you?" Henry was getting frantic. She was just here. _She was just here!_

Henry was interrupted on his search but a sharp knock on the door. "Kate..."

-end of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11 All in the Family

**Chapter 11 – All in the Family**

Kate sat by the window, Charlie napping half-over her lap and Abbie medidtating on the other half of the bench seat.

"Okay Emma, how about we get Dratini out of storage?"

"Mm?" Peter was talking some more on the balcony outside.

"Professor Reed has been taking good care of him since the last time you were here. Come, we can go to the computer at the Pocket Monster Center."

Kate looked at the balcony, _Grandma doesn't look that sick._

She does not look ill, but she feels it. Abbie had an answer, look at her.

Kate reaffirmed her shield before looking.

Good habit to be in. Abbie again.

Her grandmother's colours were a mess, like everyone else's, she still had a long way to go to understand them. But there was an overcast of black. Spikes or a darker colour, it was hard to tell. Will she be okay?

She knows where she is, she knows where she wants to go. She mistakes you, but you do look like your mother. Abbie shrugged.

Thank you Abbie, she smiled a little, remembering the dream she had seen of her mother. Are you sure we should let her take us out?

It's your choice.

"I'm not going to wait for a Slowpoke if they take too long to put on their shoes."

Even if the Dratini is gone Kate tied her shoes, it might jog her memory. I remember somewhere about people with a companion monster lived longer and better than people who didn't. Kate nudged Charlie awake, and we should keep an eye on her for grandpa.

That answers that then.

"I've never met your granddaughter. So this is Jocelyn?" The professor looked into the view screen from her side of the video call. Professor Reed was stationed on the edge of the city where she had the room for the Monsters stored on the computer system. Her straw-coloured hair was tinged with grey.

"Yes Professor Reed, she's getting so big." Kate's grandmother squeezed her shoulder and gave it a wiggle for emphasis.

"Please, Harriet call me Debbie. It's just been so long since I've seen you last. How old are you Jocelyn?"

"I'm eleven." Kate squeezed her grandmother back._ Does the professor know about Mom?_

Debbie leaned forward towards the camera, as if that would make it easier to see Kate, and all her shortness, over the edge of the video phone.

Kate leaned up on her toes so it was easier to see her head and shoulders.

Debbie smiled at Harriet, "Nice to meet you Jocelyn. How long will you be visiting your grandparents?"

"A while."

Debbie smiled and turned to Kate's grandmother, "Ammelia's Dratini is doing well here, she's grown big after all these visits. Peter's always picked up the Dratini before, how is he?"

Harriet smile at the professor, "Oh he's fine. I was thinking that Dratini would do better with my grand-daughter.

"Well, good luck on your monster-journey Jocelyn. But do you have others? This Dratini is a little tricky for a new trainer."

"I know a couple already. Abbie and Charlie."

"Aw, you named them. How cute." Debbie sounded liked she was talking to a small child with the comment without being an outright insult. Her laugh lines crinkled with a smile.

Kate was smaller for he age, though she was not so small to wan to have a grown-up use that tone with her. But she only responded by raising her chin ans thinking of her closeness with her monster-friends behind her.

"That's my girl," Harriet patted Kate's shoulder this time.

The console started beeping after a light turned on and the lid's lock engaged beside the view screen.

"Okay, she's coming through now, don't let me get in the way of spending more time with your grand daughter."

After a moment, the transfer completed and the monster's pocket-ball appeared under the glass lid.

Kate thanked the professor while her grand mother and Debbie exchanged good byes.

Ammelia had the Dratini more as a pet and companion than a trainer and had left her in the care of her parents. The professor had mentioned that Peter had left the Dratini in her care more and more as Kate's grandparents became older

Kate had several more questions to ask her dad when she got back to the condo.

"Not now Jocelyn." Harriet had a large smile while putting her hand out against Kate releasing Ammelia's Dratini.

"It's not proper to have your monster walking around just anywhere around people."

Kate looked at Charlie and Abbie walking alongside her. Abbie just gave a human-like shrug at the comment.

"Okay, so let's just go back home then grandma."

"I don't care!" Henry's diatribe to Kate went on. "You don't leave without me. And certainly not without telling me!"

"But Dad, grandma and I-"

"I don't care, your grandmother is not well, she's sick. You could have gotten her hurt or." He looked to the front door of the condo. "Your grandfather is out there, still looking for his wife. You're lucky it was me who stayed behind. Your grandfather would not have reacted well at all. You should have seen how upset he was that Harriet had left home."

Kate decided against arguing anymore, not realizing at the time how sick her grandmother was and the care her grandfather took with Harriet.

Henry went on, and on. Kate took it, embarrassment and all and kept listening.

"You are staying put, understand? We haven't come this far just for you to go wandering off with a sick relative. "You do realize you could have dragged her into trouble if you had been seen? By anyone we do not talk about, with anyone?"

"But I didn't see any. Grandmother and I were fine."

"That's the problem, you don't see." Henry raked his hair with desperation. "Look, I'm sorry, you have noticed it before. But it's dangerous to think you will all the time." He knelt to look Kate in the eye, "I care about you, but they're dangerous. They're trouble and I don't want you any more involved in my mess anymore that you have."

Kate bit her lip against tears, the feelings coming off her father, adopted or not, she could feel his caring, compassion and a little sadness. It was all making her cry.

"Henry pulled her into a hug, "I don't think they know we're here. Please, don't go out again. Not unless you're with me and we're leaving. I only thought to ground you to keep you inside. I'm trying to keep your grandparents out of this, okay? We keep each other safe but I'm not sure how well that will work if Harriet and Peter are in trouble and we're somewhere else."

"Okay dad. I'll stay out of trouble."

"And?"

"I won't go outside until we leave."

"Thank you."

The front door opened, making a swishing over the floor of the front of the home. "Henry! How- Harriet! Thank goodness! Henry! How did you-"

What followed was a different homecoming. Peter was so happy to see Harriet again, checked how she was doing and had her settled on her seat on the balcony quickly. Kate did not feel so welcome anymore. He thought he had lost his wife and a small gap had seemed to appear between her and her grandfather.

She felt it would be a long time before he was warm with her again. She hoped it would just be until the next morning, though it was more being optimistic. Abbie pictured a shadow between her and Peter and it seemed to fit. How did we not know they would be this upset for a walk? How sick is grandma?

Abbie replied with I do not know everything, Harriet is hurt inside and it makes it hard for her to care for herself. As for us coming back, I did not know that this would happen either.

Be we are telepathic, how could one of us not read their minds and prevented is? I don't get it.

We hear what they think. If someone does not think of a thing, we do not 'hear' it. And Harriet had no understanding of this. Henry was right, If someone who is dangerous to us does not think 'dangerously' let us say, then we will not think we are in danger and they will recognize you and we will not know they are there.

I thought things would get simpler with time.

"Kate, go to your room, I need to talk to your grandpa."

Abbie and Kate's little discussion had been taking place under Peter's lecture about taking care of his wife.

"Okay, dad."

Kate, we get stronger and more complex with time, so why not everything else?

Kate did not respond as she went into the bedroom. Recalling the monster-ball in her pocket since she had returned.

Did professor Reed give a gender or even a name for my mother's monster?

She is a she. Those boxes are still strange. I see the person between the black lines but they are not near to be heard. How far away can they be?

Anywhere in the world. Anyway, Reed never gave a name. And I did not like the way she talked about you.

Abbie snorted quietly at that comment right on top of the answer to the phone question.

Here goes, The monster ball made the usual noise, she slipped the empty ball into her pocket as the dratini appeared.

White fins, shaped like wings, looking like large ears on either side of her head. She had a long and sleek dark blue body and a long white belly. A large stone was on the centre of her forehead. The Dratini moving on her belly was even taller than Abbie by over a foot. She was much longer than the pictures Kate had of photos and normal Dratini. Not as long as Dragonair bu longer.

The Dratini trilled in confusion, moving around the bedroom. Nearly knocking over a lamp, she went over and under the bed, looking for something.

"Hey, it's okay." Kate made a shushing noise and tried to calm the monster.

The Dratini froze in place and looked at Kate. Still looking confused, she slithered towards Kate. Giving her a sniff then recoiling to the bed and giving another trill. The noise was quiet, Kate could barely hear it.

"I'm Kate. Emma's daughter. Do you remember Emma?"

The Dratini coiled itself together on the bed, leaning away from Kate. Abbie was watching everything and Charlie was near the closet, curled protectively around the flame on the tip of his tail.

The Dratini made a noise like "ehh-rah, ehh-rah" in a sort-of squeal.

"Yeah, Emma. She was my mother."

The Dratini relaxed on the bed, still not moving towards Kate. Making some sort of noise she had never heard a monster make. Kate's thought was that the Dratini was crying, in her own way. All the noises she made were soft and quiet or just quiet.

"I am Kate, Emma's daughter." She decided to take a risk, give the Dratini something hopeful. "I think she's still alive, will you help me find her?"

The Dratini snapped to attention and jumped off the bed towards Kate. Landing right in front of her and looking her right in the eyes as if to challenge.

"Either that or I have an older sister. But please, will you help me? You are family to me. Like an aunt or an old friend of my mother." She tried to match the Dratini stare fore stare, but the monster was so fierce and intense Kate could not hold after the staring matched seemed to go on forever.

The Dratini sniffed at Kate after winning the staring match. Kate thought it might start a bad trend.

Yes it will. And now you have to fix as soon as you can or it will get much worse. Abbie broke the silence for a moment, giving Kate a tip on treating other monsters. Abbie seemed to clam up or hold in after that, leaving Kate on her own with the Dratini.

"Look, let's start somewhere else. Let me see. What is your name? What did my mother call you?"

The female Dratini looked at her and used the human gesture of rolling her eyes at Kate while seeming to cast her gaze around the room for inspiration, also a human gesture. She started making another noise. Like a trill or a high-pitched hum or something in-between there was a beat to it and the monster started repeating herself. To drill the pattern into Kate it seemed.

Kate had a feeling that the monster was suing some kind of grown-up sarcasm. She had forgotten that monsters could be so smart, but the monster was older than Kate and had been around her mother for years.

Kate held onto her shield with a mental fist and tried listening to the Dratini. The monster stopped her name-song right after Kate tried to read her mind, but Kate had it quickly. The understanding of the human sound in the noise came with the thought of someone looking at the Dratini and making a sound she would respond to. It was the same as two of the syllables in the song. Pulled out and used as her name. Kate also realized that she had heard her mother's voice again, speaking the monster's name.

"Mimir. She called you Mimir."

The Dratini stopped turning away and looked at Kate with her head cocked and only facing with one eye. Making a sound like a question mark, Kate could never explain it, some things were simply known to her.

"Mimir?"

Mimir turned back to Kate, still holding herself upright stiffly but not staring Kate down.

Better. You have her interest but not her respect. Do not think it is over.

Kate twisted her lips together, not forming a response Abbie would hear, or so she thought. Abbie's ear twitched at the sarcasm.

"Mimir, this is Abbie. She is my first friend and-"

Mimir glided over the carpet to Abbie and went around her in a circle. Abbie managed to stare flatly at Mimir and still keep her eyes as nearly-closed slits on her vulpix-like face. Mimir looked away first that time as she finished a rotation around Abbie. She then glided over to the closet, where Charlie was curled up, before Kate could introduce him.

He growled at the monsters' approach. Protecting his tail above all else.

"Charlie-" Kate tried to break the tension, "Charlie, her name is Mimir. She is our new friend."

Charlie growled at Mimir. Flicking his tail behind him and trying to make himself look bigger, even curled up on the floor. Abbie and Mimir seemed to be neutral with some deference. Charlie and Mirmir was something else. He tried posing, muscles on his shoulders kept twitching as Mimir stared him down.

Kate stayed out of it in every way but talking. Trying to use the noise to distract. "Hey, come on. We're all family here."

In the end it was a tie, Charlie and Mimir looking away at the same moment. Kate had that feeling again. There would be other situations in the future. Especially if she did not find the peace her little group needed.

I will teach you whatever you need to know, what I can, about what we have in common. But if you want to know how to act with people and monsters you have to learn it by watching and doing. I did not tell you how to walk or speak aloud, you do not tell me how to sense danger. These things are learnt by doing, not by telling.

It still sounds like an excuse to leave my to flounder on my own with Mimir.

I do not teach you how to earn respect. You simply get it or you do not. And do not try to speak with Mimir this way, yet.

Oh, did you talk to her? Mirmir settled on the Growlithe cushion by the bed, claiming the space to herself and making sure no Charmanders would wander over with a warning look.

With me it is different. I have taken for granted the asking. Something else You need to be taught. But for now do not invade her space unless she asks.

But, but how do I do that? Abbie? Kate could feel the questions cascading in her mind and Abbie could feel it too.

No, it has been a long day. For now, rest. And settle for tonight, Mimir is territorial and will take offence if you approach this the wrong way. Making it worse. Abbie crossed her legs and settled on the bit of carpet in front of the nightstand and beside the bed. Charlie found a spot at the foot of the matress. Triumphantly curling up at Kate's feet, a display just for Mimir. His tail curled over himself so there was no chance of the bedding setting on fire.

Mimir ignored him, or made an appearance to do so. She was being trouble, though she did not claim the bed of her former owner, Kate believed that it was the difference between real trouble and someone who only made an appearance of trouble. Kate's last thought before falling asleep, early for anyone but Kate, was the sound of her mother's voice and the joy in Mimir's eyes at hearing the word.

Kate opened her eyes to a different place than the penthouse condominium owned by her grandparents.

The place seemed the same. The bed was the same, the carpet was the same. The ceiling and roof were gone. Parts of the walls had fallen away, scorch marks here and there. The sky was the dark-blue-grey of a cloudy metropolis at night. Peeking over a low gap in one wall's remains, the horizon glowed red making it seem like the clouds might actually be smoke. Nothing was there to make her cough but the wind that suddenly swept over another wall was hot and smelled of burnt things and meat.

She went through the door to the bedroom, the frame was intact and the walls were a little higher deeper in the building.

"Dad! Grandpa!" Her calls went unanswered further in, there was no one there but the burning meat and wood smells. Something smelled like burning plastic like when she tried to fix the toaster with a plastic fork, so she would not be electrocuted of course.

The wind still brought her smells, most of it reminded her of a coastal Swinub barbeque, she did not know why. It did not make her feel like eating anything though. Like the meat was rotten or just trying to overwhelm her.

"Grandma? Are you there?"

"I'm watching the sun rise on the balcony Emma."

Kate went through the home, the kitchen door remained, in part. She could see over the bottom half, it was like someone had taken a scoop out of that part of the building. She went from a tentative walk to a run to the balcony, at least the floor did not move under her or make noises. All she could hear was the wind and her grandmother's response.

Kate came around the last wall to the balcony, "Grandma? Are you okay?"

Harriet was looking over the rail, towards the undulating red glow on the horizon, like the world was burning. Over her grandmother's head, through the smoky haze in the sky was brown-black sky and a red sun.

"Grandma." Kate felt her stomach sink into her feet at the scene, watching her grandmother's back as she looked over the ruined city and the burning sky.

Harriet turn to Kate, a thin tendril of smoke rose from her chest. Kate's grandma had a half-melted face, scorching down the front of her blouse and skirt. Her breast bone showed in the middle, burnt skin and muscle around it. Her face was a ruin, missing one eye. Her hair was immaculate and every hair was in place as if nothing was wrong,

"Come, Emma, let's watch the Sun rise together." Harriet held out a hand to her granddaughter.

The air filled with a scream, a shriek of terror at the edge of death. Before long, Kate realized the sound was coming from her own throat.

-End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12 Why We Fight

**Chapter 12 – Why We Fight**

Kate pointed her monster index at the sleeping Mimir. The index was silent, as the old models were, the pixels of the text readout was readable, at least, on the screen:

**Number 147: Dratini. Thought to be a mythical Pokemon until recently. It constantly sheds it's skin and can grow much longer even in it's unevolved form.**

Kate was still surprised that something so out-of-date, no mechanical audio, black and white (more like dark green and yellow) screen, could still do so much for her. Her face was a pixelated mess on the monster index itself. The red case was an old shape that she had not seen on television unless an old advertisement was shown. The only thing going for the index was the scanner, with red or blue light to indicate if a scan had been understood or not. Blue meant something had been successfully read. When the 'Dex was placed in a dock, her picture and the other data inside was perfectly readable and the picture looked like her.

She had little interest in the competitive aspect of monster training. Kate had no interest in putting Charlie, or Abbie, into a ring to fight or risk harming any of her friends. It would be inevitable if she was attacked by a wild monster. Though the nature of her friendship with Abbie made her think that a wild-monster encounter may not go as expected by most people.

She was young, she had monsters, she had an index. She had every excuse to be wandering around the world, alone. The 'Dex was her identification as a young monster-trainer. She could compete officially if she wanted. Emma Gaines would get any glory Kate tried to grasp herself. But whatever storm her and her dad were in the middle of, Emma was a shield to protect her from whatever _They_ intended for Kate.

Do you actually want to fight? If you could Abbie?

Why? Does someone want to harm Us? The capital 'us' Abbie used seemed to refer to Kate, Abbie, Charlie and Mimir instead of her own species as a whole.

Well, no. I think others like to prove that they are strong and can raise strong monsters.

Well if they need to prove to others that they are strong, then they are not. You are strong or you are not. Time tells that, not fighting.

But, Abbie, do you think I am strong?

We are young, give it more time.

Kate did not reply and pursed her lips instead.

You could be strong, one day. But people who need the proving and get the 'proof' they need, become proud with their supposed strength and make mistakes. Overconfident. You are not overconfident.

No, I'm not. I'm more curious how we would do against other trainers. There are some places where the wild monsters would have most trainers as a meal. The whole badge-thing is a requirement of going to one of those places, a proof that someone could survive there with only their own monsters against the elements and the wild things.

If it is a matter of survival, that is different. Abbie saw the place in Kate's mind, the mountain above the Plateau that Kate meant. Eight league badges was the requirement for entry. From gym leaders that were top monster-trainers in their own right. The mountain was on the other side of the forested wilds west of Viridian, where Kate grew-up with the father, Henry. There had been many tough trainers in the area, heading for the Plateau. Good reason for Kate to not start being competitive there. And it was those wilds, somewhere, that the source of the Red star was in 'Their-Place,' the Abra's Place. The red light that Kate had seen in her dreams. It was somewhere west of Viridian. So was the Indigo Plateau, the end-goal of monster-trainers.

All that in a moment, looking into Kate's mind, Kate saw no reason not to share it with Abbie anyway. They shared everything. Except when Abbie was in a teaching mood, which was for good reason.

Abbie continued, If you want to get stronger, through practise, we get stronger. the 'we' included the other monsters and excluded Kate, but you need strength as well, we practise, you practise.

Together, then. We grow together.

At this point in the morning, Mimir stirred. Kate backed off from intruding mentally and used her words instead. Thoughts were faster, but she had been warned about that with Mimir for now. And Charlie responded well to Kate using a combination of both, especially spoken commands.

"Mimir?"

The Dratini unfurled itself at the word, looked at Kate then yawned and rested her head on the chair beside her. Ignoring Kate since the human had used her name.

"Mimir," Kate tried again.

Mimir grumbled at her instead.

Kate felt her own desire for breakfast but ignored it for the moment, "Mimir, you knew my mother. I never did." Kate slid off the bed onto the floor next to it. Not getting any closer to the monster but matched her eye level. "I never had a chance to know her and you did. I am jealous of that. Grandma mentioned that you two grew-up together, until she was married. In some ways I took her away from both of us." Abbie touched Kate's shoulder with her foot, still sitting on the bed, Abbie's support was beyond words. Kate kept going, "But if I get to know you, I can learn about a part of my mother's life I was not part of. And if you're more friendly to me, you can learn about a part of my mother you never knew."

Mimir growled again, looked at Kate, sniffed derisively and set her head on the chair to look at the bedroom door again.

That wasn't a growl, Kate. Sounds more like she's hungry.

There was a knock at the door, her grandmother's voice was on the other side. "Emma, breakfast is ready, there's something for Mimir as well."

A burned, horrific face, intruded on Kate's thoughts at the sound of her grandmother's voice. Mimir stirred at the sound and went right for the door, finding a way to open it gently with her mouth and she was off to eat.

Abbie sat down on the floor beside Kate, touching a shoulder. What was that you saw?

Kate took a breath and ran through the dream, quickly, as she could remember it.

Abbie was silent for a while, they could hear voices coming from the kitchen through the open bedroom door.

What's wrong Abbie?

She is sick, hurt.

Can you-or I- fix grandma? How is she sick?

. . . I do not know how to heal that for her, only try to prevent us from coming to harm.

But-but my grandmother, this time Kate felt the tears but did not stop one from going down a cheek.

Hold on, Kate. She is being taken care of. I am sorry but we can not do her better.

Kate wiped her eyes, is there anything we can do?

I am not sure and not before time.

Kate scrunched her face and wiped the last tear. 'Time' had a sens of finality to it. Kate needed time that her grandmother did not have. She did her best to dry her face before going out for breakfast with Abbie.

Kate sat in the room, bored even with Abbie to talk to. Charlie was having a post-meal nap on the bed with her. Kate did not want to nap, fretting too much to be able to sleep.

Henry was in the other room, using her grandparents computer or pacing in the living room. Her grandfather had left for the day to do something with grandma. Kate had no way of leaving without her dad knowing.

Mimir sat in her bed, at first to claim it from Charlie. Now she pretended to sleep and kept watching Charlie, or Kate pet his back. Kate left Mimir alone in whatever her thoughts were. She believed Abbie at her word. Humans, unlike Kate, seemed oblivious to the invisible things going on with Pocket Monsters. They saw what monsters did, they heard them make noise at each other. Kate could feel what was not seen, she could understand monsters if she wished. She had kept her conversations with Abbie to herself, at Abbie's urgings, when she was very young. But Kate quickly found out from the other children that she had an unusual bond with Abbie, that no one could talk, silently or not, with any monster of any kind.

Kate though there could be others, should be others. She was just the only one in that group of children.

She also kept to Abbie's warning about listening to Mimir. Only a few monsters were Psychic, but Abbie had explained that they were more aware of these things that humans. Including knowing whether or not their minds were being read. Not that they could stop it, but it would be insulting to do something like that without their trust and permission.

How she was supposed to tell if she had permission without listening, Kate did not know. But Abbie did say she would be taught how, if she could learn. Humans were different, they seemed to walk around with their thoughts in a cloud around them, simple to listen to without going 'in' merely by being nearby and listening to the chaos. Kate was getting better at sorting through the noise, she could already pick-out a particular person.

Abbie had her beat on sensing threats. The female monster had mastered that from the beginning. Sensing trouble, and escaping it, was a speciality of the Abra species. With everything that had happened, Kate was glad. She was not that good of a trainer, with loads of experienced monsters to protect her from secret agents, guns and explosives. Unless a mythical monster could survive swallowing a bomb, Kate was better off running.

She was getting tired of running. Her and her dad, Henry, could not run forever. Whatever was in that file of his, Peter had an extra briefcase for Henry to use, she hoped that handing it over to those other people would make this stop. Kate had taken a look at it, diagrams, charts and big words only a scientist like Henry would understand. People who did not want him telling others about it, and the people he wanted to have the file. Ever since she had seen his dream of her mother, she knew it was his dream somehow, ever since she had not tried to listen to his mind. He trusted her, but she did not want to do something like that to him.

The few other times she had brought up her talents, Henry had changed the subject. Not out of disbelief or denial. He merely did not want to talk aloud of any of those things, as if they were being spied-upon right then. Kate knew that if they were being spied they would also need to run again, they were not and they did not. Henry seemed to want Kate to be in the habit of never speaking of it where others could hear and she did not think that was a bad habit, Abbie had agreed at the time.

Kate was still in her mother's old bedroom. On her mother's old bed. The room had had it's owner's identity removed for a guest room but it still had the feeling of a female occupant. Something about the colours or the feel. She like to think that her own mother had been in that bed some time ago. In the same spot, together, only separated by time.

That feeling did not last for the hours until lunch. Henry was busy at the computer and Kate could still not leave. Abbie left Kate alone, leaving Kate to practise what she had been taught. That did not last long either, the exercises were coming naturally, she wanted more and was not getting it.

At lunch, Kate saw the briefcase open, everything split into two neat piles. She did not ask, that was the other thing Henry did not wish to speak of. He seemed to not want to know the details of Kate's talents and he did not want her to know the details of the papers, both to protect her. Henry was always very protective of Kate, even with her and Abbie managing to protect him more.

Lunch was eaten in silence. Kate could not think of anything that Henry would talk about. And Henry did not start any conversation either. He looked more preoccupied with the papers than upset, there was that at least He was still not talking.

Kate retreated to the bedroom, leaving her monsters and Mimir to finish lunch whenever. It was hard to think of Mimir as her own monster, not yet. Mimir was not very accepting of Kate, despite Kate's welcoming attitude.

After that woman, the mean nursemaid, back in Viridian, Mimir was the second one to not answer Kate's behaviour equally kindly. Mimir, at least, was worth getting to know. The monster had been her mother's companion for most of her life. Kate wanted to see those memories very much.

She was getting stir crazy after just a day without going out. She wanted to go outside and get stronger. She wanted to be strong enough to not have to run any more and maybe fight back against all the secret people wanting to hurt her dad and take her away from them. She wanted to stop her mother from being tortured from whoever that was. All this running, it was running away.

Kate balled her hands into fists, trying to squeeze out the memory of the needles under the skin. All this running was away from where that was happening, she could feel it. From what Abbie had told her, she was not strong enough to do much pf anything but learn how to live and be like she was. She needed practise. Kate needed to get out, see the world and get better for it. With all this running with Henry, she was not going to have time for it. So when they got to the coast, she would not be any stronger and they would have to start swimming.

Sensing her mood, Abbie moved over to the window. The room did not have it's own balcony, but the penthouse condominium had an only slightly obscured view of part of the city.

"What-" what is it?

You are letting the walls get to you, surround and trap you. There is more outside. Abbie faced away to look out the window, squinting as usual. This room cannot hold I, if I wished. At least not until dinner.

Kate sat up, causing Charlie to open on eye and stretch his from claws. Yeah, we could leave. Just for a little while. Why did you not say so? She hopped from the bed.

Charlie, thinking they were going for a walk got out of the bed, tail high. The fire salamanders were resistant to and could produce fire, but even their young learnt fast how not to burn.

Mimir had thinly veiled interest in the actions of the other three beings in the room.

Kate approached slowly, with her hands together, to Mimir. Leaning over a little to look Mimir squarely, she talked to the monster. "Mimir, I'm going out for a bit, maybe practise training. Would you like to fight other monsters? Or watch Abbie, or Charlie?" she was unsure about testing the Charmander, so young. When she talked to him it was like talking to a younger child, perhaps he needed more time or practise between the other two monsters first.

Mimir ignored Kate, glancing at Charlie try to slide off the bed with his fiery tail, she snorted. Glancing around the room, the monster's eye landed on Abbie.

The Abra stood by the window and turned to face Mimir squarely. They looked at each other for only a moment.

Mimir rose out of the stuffed monster-bed, sliding around Kate smoothly the human still jumped away in surprise. Mimir went around the bed, Charlie and stood by Abbie. She looked down at Kate and Charlie by the window, as if in challenge.

Kate was unsure what the look was. Maybe it was asking her why she was not leaving yet with the other two monsters. Kate picked up her pack from the chair, it could not hurt to bring the pocket-balls, she went to the window with Charlie and noticed she was in her socks.

"Charlie." She turned around and found him behind her. The young little fire salamander was half her height. Closer to a third the height of the other kids. Abbie had mostly kept pace with her height over the years, Mimir was shorter than her upright, but not by much, and that was only half her length.

Charlie looked up at her with his big blue eyes, eager to know what she wanted.

Charlie, can you get me my shoes? And sneak quietly by Henry? She pictured her sneakers in her mind with the thought.

Charlie made a little noise, assenting to her and was off. Checking the hall outside the bedroom before proceeding.

Mimir snorted again. She stirred impatiently.

Kate listened quietly by the door. Something was whirring by the computer, it had been going all day but she had never really noticed. Henry was doing something with it, she could hear him shuffle the papers.

_Subject A5, brain scan report, page one of one. This is going to take all day_

Kate pulled back after that. Leaving Henry to himself. With those few words in his mind came the understanding that came with the paper. The page had only been words but she could see the image he had been thinking of. The brain of the person had growths, parts of the brain were engorged and too big for the skull, pressing against the skull in a way she had never seen in school. She had not seen brain scans in school for that matter.

No name, no age, gender or face. Just a mutated brain and the one word summary of the report. _Deceased._

A combination of her intrusion and the result of it filled her with revulsion. The people in those papers were dead, those people were trying to find Henry and get those papers back. Who was he protecting?

_Are there more? How many people are being hurt? Why?_ She hugged herself and slid a step back from the door. Whispers were coming from the other side, people or children were whispering to her and getting closer, louder. She could almost hear them, the people around her.

Shield. Abbie's mind cut through the noise like a bell in radio static.

Kate kept holding herself, feeling the grief of the 'subject's' death that Henry still felt somewhere deep inside. Her hands became little fists as she went through the exercise before the noise of the city was loud enough to overwhelm her.

Abbie stayed silent until Kate had regained control and composure.

Sometimes, things come by surprise. Powerful things, strong sadness, strong happiness, feelings of a certain person or something important to you. You need to remember strength, so it does not push you.

How, Abbie, how do I know what else could make me forget my shield?

Only you know. Some humans do not like eating leaves, some monsters like human-made food more than what they can find in the forest. Henry or his sadness or something I do know understand is hurting you.

I'll just never read his mind again, then. That works.

No. You want practise? We practise. Put the shoes on and we can all practise.

Kate's response was interrupted by a light bump to the back of her legs.

Charlie had slipped in behind Kate. With one sneaker between his claws and one dangling by the laces in his mouth.

Kate put them on, hardly any slobber and you could not see the scratches on the right show unless you knew Charlie had carried it in his claws. She thanked him in his mind and could feel the elation from a job well done. Henry was still using the computer, still unaware of the monster that had snuck by him.

Once the last lace was tied and the pack was on her back, one last check for her three pocket balls. As well as closing the door to the hall to muffle the noise Abbie would make. She touched Abbie on the pauldron-shaped shoulder. Let's go.

Josh controlled his excitement at the next spark, not letting his feelings get in the way of nursing the smoldering grass to burn the tinder so he could move up to the other wood. He had a small fire in the cave before long. Simple things like fire building seemed so mundane when there were monsters that could breathe fire. And here he had created some of his own.

"Yeah!"

He had no fire monsters of his own so he had to depend on his scout training for fire. The sparse cave was made homier from the warmth. Dino, his Bulbasaur, helped him place the logs with his budded whips from under his bulb. The others waited in his pocket-balls. To save them from the cold of the mountainside of Mount Moon.

It was not freezing, Josh had warm enough clothes for travelling. But a stone cave high on a lone peak was clod at night. Outdoors at night was much colder than his bedroom. His one earned badge in Pewter City, the Boulder badge, did not prepare him for the cold nights in the mountains.

Josh was too stubborn to not try though. He had a fire now, he was warm. Dino learnt fast to poke at the logs with a smaller stick to keep the fire going.

A simple enough first badge and a warm first night on Mount Moon. Things were going well and Dino made it so simple. He had heard that the next nearest gym used only water monsters. He looked at Dino before settling in his sleeping bag by the fire.

"Wake me in an hour, a while, if you can." He yawned, "I'll keep the fire going while you sleep."

He fell asleep quickly. The success of the fire had erased his frustrations and worries for the night. Including his worry of how Kate was doing at the hospital. For now, he slept easily and peacefully. The rest of the world would wait until morning.

-End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13 Why They Fight

**Chapter 13 – Why They Fight**

Kate made a game navigating the streets of Saffron. So many street right or left of her grandparents building. And there was an even taller building near the center of the city. She could not make out the image on the top from here, despite it being the tallest in the city. She had not had a good view of it from any of the windows or the balcony before.

Whatever it was, she made it another landmark for finding the condo again. Abbie could teleport the four of them in and out of the building. But the city was large enough that Abbie would only take the four of them in smaller leaps, if they knew which direction to go.

So they walked the city. Learning it the hard way, Kate and Abbie would more easily get back home by walking away. This also meant that Abbie took them to the base of her grandparents building first. Actually, the entrance across the street, where there was 3-foot shrubs lining the main floor. Visible from Kate's bedroom but not to Peter if he happened to come back with Harriet as they appeared.

For a while the group, Kate and three monsters, received no comment. Mimir pretended to lead the group and not make it seem awkward when Kate turned a corner. Charlie kept up to her side, sometimes lagging for a step to look or sniff something. Abbie walked lockstep with Kate, appearing unaffected, unfazed and uninterested in anything happening around them.

Kate did not have a sense for danger like Abbie did. Though she knew that Abbie was appearing to do nothing but stay by Kate's side. Abbie was actually scanning constantly for threats. She always did, but Kate had a sense for when Abbie was trying very hard not to miss anything.

Nothing stopped them or got in there way, there was the occasional comment on Kate's age. She was now a head shorter than other children her age and it made her look much younger. The other three mosnters were obviously with her, so she was well protected or some prodigy trainer. Seven or eight years old with three monsters under her control.

Kate did not see it that way, she was already twelve and the monsters were, or would be, her friends and were never her pets or servants.

She meandered her way further north in the city. More trainers were visible. Not just people walking with their pet, but walking around looking for or were trouble.

There was something different about a housewife walking with a Persian, a cat-type monster, then there was with a teenager prowling the city street with a Nidorino, a mouse-shaped monster, which was nearly as tall as Mimir if it stood on it's back legs. Three feet standing upright, if it could.

It was not Kate's talents that told her the difference, not on it's own. The more she pulled back from other people, the more her understanding of their body language was plain to her. The trainers were more, sort of, predatory or threatening or feeling threatened, depending on the individual personality.

Monster trainers fought others using their monsters as a buffer or statement between each trainer. Non sanctioned fights could happen anywhere, at any time. Smart trainers went to places where they wuold not be arrested for fighting in the streets. It would seem cowardly to refuse though.

The result was that trainers were looking for fights or they were expecting a challenge. Except for the ones helping a monster limp towards a Monster Treatment Center. It was cowardly to challenge at a time like that, even if a fight was later.

Some trainers walked proudly, like the wealthier people in the city. Like they own their place by virtue of winning against other challengers. The difference was that the rich carried in their arms, or pulled on a leash various rare and cute breeds of monsters.

Kate tried to look looming as she walked along with her friends. Her height and apparent age did not make it easy but she tried anyway. Mimir drew the most looks though. Some people thought she was a Dragonair, which is a much larger and longer evolution of the Dratini she was. Both were very rare. The 'Dex was not kidding when it said a Dratini used to be thought as mythical. A few people still thought they were. Mimir had no trouble looking threatening. She took to it well, already appearing to lead the group. It was not long until someone wanted to pick on the little kid.

"Hey, shorty. You up for a challenge?" A boy around her age, flanked by two friends. He had black hair, a mean look and two friends with lighter, brown, hair that looked like two brothers. The first one had eyes with a very slight slant to them or all three would look like brothers.

Kate looked at the boy, no monsters were nearby but all three had belt holsters for the pocket-balls. They each had six carried in the shrunken size but it was impossible to tell if they had monsters until one was released from it or not.

"Yeah, sure." Kate stood tall and squared her shoulders. Trying to look tough.

The other three boys only laughed at her, she came up to the shoulders of the second tallest twelve-year-old of the three. Most trainers were around twelve as it was rare for many to travel and train for years or were put back in school by their parents after a time.

"You don't look so tough, little runt."

Kate smiled, he was trying to intimidate her, but she could tell that he was just a bully by trying to pick on smaller kids that looked weaker than him. "One on one." She had never battled before, so she tried the standard form.

"Mimir." Kate looked at the Dratini. Careful not to intrude. They looked each other in the eye, Mimir looked at the other trainers, snorted and started inspecting the posters on the nearby pole of traffic signals.

Kate rolled her eyes, looked at Charlie and Abbie. _Crap._ Mimir would not listen, Charlie was too young and Abbie was not ready.

Yes, I am. Abbie broke her silence and moved between Charlie and the bullies.

One of them chuckled, "Are you gunna pick one or what? I'm waiting you little runt." Black-hair had one of the pocket-balls in his hand, smirking at her apparent indesicion.

Kate returned to her instantaneous words with Abbie, Are you sure? I looked this up already. Unless I use a training machine you can't really fight until you evolve.

I know. Abbie took a step toward the trainer, using the human expression of impatiently folding her arms across her chest, leaning to one side.

One of the brothers tapped black-hair on the shoulder. "Ron, not here." The point was punctuated by a passing police-car.

Thankfully the Monster-Trainer-Gym was very close and had areas out back where the challenge could take place.

'Ron' had his own moment of indecision on the way, but after a whisper from one of his goons he smirked again and went back to his first choice.

_So one of them are not that stupid, Abra can't fight._ But I trust you not to be stupid.

Thank you.

With the goons as witnesses, and Mimir and Charlie as Kate's own witnesses.

Kate wondered for a moment, Mimir disrespected her at every turn and did not listen, but she had not left Kate's side except to eat meals. Ron's monster being released brought her back to the here and now.

The snake was giant, over five feet tall standing. Which meant it was twice that long if it lay flat. Large fire symbols on it's chest. Kate puled her 'Dex out and ignored the next teasing grunt from Ron.

**Number 024: With many regional variations, it uses them to intimidate it's prey. Once an Arbok begins to constrict it's foe it is impossible to escape.**

"You haven't seen an Arbok yet?" His laughing was punctuated by a growl from his monster.

"Chaaaaaa!"

Ron continued, "Where did you find the Dratini? Under a rock?"

Mimir stopped preening her wing-shaped-ears at the word and snaked over to the Arbok before Abbie stepped forward. Mimir made a sort-of chirp that came from deep in her throat and made it sound theatening. Mimir was more sucessful that Abbie to be intimidating.

"Go Mimir." Kate said anyway. To make it seem that she intended Mimir to fight in the first place. She shared a moment with Abbie that was the telepathic version of looking each other in the eyes sheepishly.

The other trainer went into action immediately, "Screech at it Arbok!"

The large purple snake, with the flame-patterned hood, opened it's fanged-mouth and pointed at the other Monster.

Mimir flinched at the high pitch noise the monster, literally, screeched at her. Kate flinched as well, the noise was not above human hearing, it had no other effect on her as it was not targeted at her. There were laws against using monsters' powers against people, ones that included the words 'assault' or 'attempted murder.'

Had Kate not closed her eyes, she would have seen Abbie turn her head and Charlie cover the little places on the side of his head that were his ears.

Kate's next thought was that she had no idea what Mimir was capable of. She had no way to be a trainer for Mimir yet, if the monster would listen to her.

Abbie interjected She is going to use Dragon Rage.

"Mimir," the monster was already warming up for it, "Use Dragon Rage."

Mimir took a deep breath, eyes burning with anger, she suddenly burst forward. Whipping around the other monster in a rage, she seemed out of control, almost dancing around the other monster. It was a more chaotic version of Dragon Dance, but it still had a fixed effect. Many wondered how so many different monsters danced the same circular Dragon Rage and never learned it from each other.

The Arbok, or just 'Arbok' as Ron did not name it, did more than merely flinch from the Rage. But it was still standing.

Now she is going to Slam it.

"Mimir," The female Dratini was already rising up in front of the Arbok as it's trainer called it's move. "Use Slam."

"Ice Fa-" Ron faltered at Mimir attacked.

She bodily slammed into the other monster, knocking him down to the ground.

"Ch-ch-chaaa . . . ch-ch" Arbok shivered on the ground and did not get up. Paralyzed.

"Ice Fang! Come on! Get-up already, Ice Fang!"

Mimir snorted, at the trainer this time. She stood over the Arbok triumphantly. Doing nothing except watching it shiver.

Ron kept trying to urge Arbok into action. "Get-up! Errrarrg! Don't Be Paralyzed! Use Ice Fang! Ice Fang! Ice Fang!" Ron seemed to think that Arbok would snap out of it's paralysis if he repeated the next move often enough.

Kate had the image of someone pushing a button over and over in rage. Like a grown adult trying to get a vending machine game to work and thought repeatedly mashing the button would make the game do what they wanted.

Mimir stood there, proud like a Meowth over a caught Pidgey.

"Ice fang! Now!"

Abbie though one word, Slam.

Arbok moved up from the ground, about to sink it's fangs into Mimir when she turned and slammed into it, again. Knocking it to the ground, again.

The slam came the moment Arbok had tried to get up. The suddenness of the attack surprised her before she could say the word.

This time Arbok did not move, shiver, try to get up, or obey any further commands.

"Use Ice Fang- Come on.."

It was not long until everyone could tell that Arbok was knocked out.

"What- but. Double or nothing? Let's make this interesting."

Mimir was proud of herself, puffing up a bit of the white on her snake-like body that was on the level with a human's chest.

"I remember math class, double of zero is still zero." Kate left the three of them struggling to lift the unconscious monster before Ron remember to recall it to his pocket-ball.

She turned to leave the scene, hearing Ron behind her.

"Next time I'll fight your fire monster. Next Time!"

Kate ignored it.

Mimir was not far behind, taking the lead again.

Kate picked up her pace to walk aside Mimir and looked to her face, nearly as tall as the short Kate.

"Thank you Mimir, you-."

Mimir slowed at the words and looked back at Kate. Her face was completely unreadable as Kate was keeping herself from listening, her way, to Mimir.

Her seemingly blank face looked back at Kate as she slid forward again. Taking a deep breath, a sniff instead of a snort, Mimir went forward again. Acting like the leader of the group, Kate wondered if Mimir was acting this way to make it seem like she was giving Kate permission to be around. Either that or just act like it so she could get away with not taking orders from Kate and still be there.

Mimir, had been out and about when with her Grandparents. Though Kate had learned that the most time she had been free of the pocket-ball was before her mother had married. Whatever reason Kate's mother had for leaving Mimir behind, this was likely the most time she had to be out and about other than when she visited with Harriet. Possibly the first time in a while to be out on the city.

Kate suspected that the pride was an act to cover being happy to be able to move around more. Monsters were like humans or humans were another species of monsters. Either way, she was starting to understand Mimir's behaviour the hard way. Mimir may or may not like Kate, but she was disrespectful and hanging around in a way that made Kate think she was being given the chance to earn Mimir's respect.

Kate headed for the large logo of Saffron's League Gym, within sight of Mimir's melee. Perhaps Mimir wanted to get to know her for the same reasons. It would be better if that was the case.

Kate and her three friends stood outside the gym, clear in the sun above the skyscrapers further in the city of Saffron.

The stark and white walls stood tall in the sunlight of the afternoon. In the north-end of the city, the Gym was on the edge of the metropolis. Parklands, melee courts and large tracts of trees bordered the city. Her grandparents lived in a condominium in the north-east section of the city, which was within reasonable walking distance of the League Gym.

Kate noticed some houses in large lots separated by trees on the way out of town. Somewhere out there was the road to Cerulean in the north and the small townships in-between. And the dedicated bike trail was several city blocks to the west from Saffron's Gym.

Cerulean City was large enough to support it's own Gym, but Kate would not be going there anytime soon as her and Henry ran east, not north, toward Jody's resistance friends in Lavender Town. Travelling further and further away from more towns.

For now, she stood outside a Gym. She had snuck away from her Dad for less than an hour, she had time here and now.

Someone came out the double doors before she could enter. The girl was a few years older than her, a look of disappointment on her face, nudging past Kate she took off in the direction of the Treatment Center.

The teen was gone before Kate could ask her what kind of monsters she had fought inside.

Kate did get the impression of a large white monster, with an egg in a pouch, quickly beaten by a well-placed punch. The girl that left, now only in shouting range, focused on the white monster in her memory, she obviously cared for it deeply.

Kate brought herself back to the now and the doors to inside before she was caught in the feelings for the monster the girl called 'Chansey.'

Inside, the Gym looked like a gym. A tall ceiling, supported by wide pillars. Even with the pillars there was still room for a large central area, where a line of monsters was squared off to fight a line of men?

There was a line of all men, bowing and ready to face off between three or four differently appearing monsters.

Kate almost did not notice the sign by the door.

**Sanctioned League Gym of Saffron. Indoor rules apply. Serious damage to building interior, or any compromise to the structure will lead to disqualification of league fights and possible prosecution for property damage.**

The Gym leader is a little protective of his Gym building, Abbie.

I still do not see why humans go through so much effort to create these things and protect them so much. A tree or a cave can be shelter enough.

Kate shrugged and moved further in. The walls opened up to the full width of the gym. It turned out that the monsters were not fighting the humans, they were going through martial exercises together.

"Kiyaa!" Right arm punch.

"Kiyaa!" Left arm punch.

"Kiyaa!" Right foot kick.

"Kiyaa! Left foot Kick.

"Kiyaa!" Right arm block and turn to the right.

This went on as each pair was just out of reach of their partners until they punched and kicked in a circle. Coming back to where they started. Someone in the back of the Gym called out something-kata-two and the pairs were off into another pattern.

Abbie poked Kate in the pocket that held her Monster Index. It took a few tries, but Kate was able to get a read off of all the Monster she could see. The good thing about it being old was that it did not interrupt their practise by reading aloud everything it told her. She had heard that the newest 'Dexes had audio readouts, showed pictures and might soon record video of monsters.

Apparently there were only two real species of monster in the Gym. Machop would turn into Machoke. Mankey became Primape and now all four 'Dex entries were uncovered for her.

This 'research' trainers' 'Dexes had seemed more to be something to record what they had done and seen more than research for the Professors. Though if something new and lacking in the research would be unscannable and encourage the trainer to try and capture something. They would want to be the one to discover a new species.

"Interested in the practise? We have training all the time here."

Kate was surprised while she was putting away the 'Dex. She looked at Abbie for a quick moment.

Abbie said nothing, giving the impression that the surprise speaker was not a threat and that Kate should have noticed him sooner. Almost a chiding feeling.

This exchange of impressions took only a moment as Kate looked up. She had to look up, at the speaker.

A tall man, wearing the marital arts _gi_, like all the other trainers in the Gym. He had a read ribbon or armband tied to his arm and a white headband above his brow. He looked down at her with a smile, there was something quieting and peaceful about the way he looked. He felt like a man who knew how he was, where he was and was satisfied with that.

Kate took this in with a second moment, putting to words her reply. "I don't have time to practise today. Is the Gym Leader around?"

The man grinned, "Come now, everyday is a good day for practise. But I do know right where he is, let me show you the way." He held out a hand and brotherly placed a hand on her shoulder to lead her around the men and monsters at practise.

"What is your name, little one?"

Kate pursed her lips momentarily, "Ka- Kay. Okay." She caught her name and tried to play it off. "Emma, and I'm not little. I turn twelve soon."

"Ah-haha! Good for you." Unlike most grown-ups that talked like this, he seemed honest and jovial, "I turn twenty-five later this year myself. My name is Kiyo. Let me show you where the Leader sits.

-End of Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14 This Old Gym

**Chapter 14 – This Old Gym**

Kate watched the fighting men and mosnters from the top of a step-up at the back of the League Gym. Kiyo stood with her near some cushions on the step-up, not quite a stage, too long for just stairs. He said the Gym Leader sat here to watch his students.

Kate suspected something else was going on, but said nothing.

Kiyo was more interested in conversation for the moment. "So," He sat on one of the thick cushions, folding his legs and gesturing Kate to do the same. "Until the Gym Leader is ready, we can talk first. So, how many badges have you earned so far, little one?"

Kate was no longer upset at the title, she preferred it to her fake name once she felt that he was not teasing her. The older teen that had jsut left was smaller than this fighting man. His arms were as thick as his legs should have been and they were thicker.

"None. I have not fought much so far."

"Haha!" More surprised at her inexperience than teasing, "So you think you can challenge the Gym Leader already?" His eyes flicked over Abbie, Charlie curled up beside Kate and Mimir. Then flicked again at Mimir. Above average size was a clear sign of age in monsters and possible above-average experience. Just going by average heights, it looked like the starter-monster from a professor was the last monster she received. Possible signs for observant people to make it look like Kate had been training longer than she had. "I have seen people try that are younger then you. Wisdom of some things comes to people no matter the age. So, why have you come here?"

"I came to challenge the Gym Leader."

"Yes, but why?"

"So I can earn a badge."

"Why so eager to win a badge?"

"I need them."

"Oh you need badges, why do you think that is?"

Kate's lips twisted. Kiyo's child-like glee was getting frustrating, more like a child's incessant questions of why. "Then I'll know I am growing stronger."

"Oh? Badges show strength? Do you think this belt show strength?" He still smiled and touched the worn black belt around his waist. It was frayed in many places, showing white material underneath. "what is this strength you seek? Or do you already have it and wish to show it to the Gym Leader?"

"I do not have it. I am trying to find it. And other trainers come here so..."

"There are many different types of strength, little one. The strength do do your chores every day. The strength to stand. The strength to resist. The strength to be calm in stillness. The strength to be calm in chaos. There are many others including the strength to fight. Why do you want that?"

Kate looked at his feet before looking back up, "I need to be able to fight to protect and help the people I care about," she did not even notice that she had included Abbie, Charlie and Mimir in that list of people, long considering Monsters as people too. "I need that strength so that I can't be beaten."

Kiyo nodded, "It is a large world, with many dangers. Training is a rite of passage for many before starting the road up to adulthood. Some do not have enough and do not leave that road and grow stronger, or weaker, over time. You have the look that a years is not long enough. I see a strenght in you that battle may reveal over time. I hope you see it one day yourself." Kiyo smiled, done with questions and clapped his hands to his folded knees.

The noise was caught by the nearest man and monster pair, they looked to Kiyo and Kate. The man glanced at Kiyo and Kate on the cushions, stopped the kata in mid-move and bowed to Kiyo. Instead of clasping hands he clapped a hand to his fist before the bow.

That clap was heard over the noise further back and created a wave of bows. The whole group lined up in two ranks again. Humans on one side, along the pillars, monster across from them in the same line.

"You're the Gym Leader." Kate had already figured it out, but had waited until Kiyo had finished with his questions.

"Ah-ha. I am glad you saw that. Yes I see good strength in you. Not just for fighting. This is good for you. Do you still want to fight? It's always a good time to train."

Are you still ready Abbie?

Of course.

Good, Charlie's still in the training stage and Leader fights are usually two monsters.

Kate straightened her shorts as she stood. "I do not have time for more than fighting. I challenge you."

Kiyo grinned, he still had that gleeful look in his eyes, like nothing could upset him. "Everyday had time for triaining, but I do accept your challenge."

Kate gave a short nod.

Kate stood at one long side of the gym. One of Kiyo's students had found exercise steps that could be stacked for her to stand on and look over the heads of the monsters squaring off for the fight. Kiyo was tall enough to not need one and was happy to prevent Kate from "unfair disadvantage" as he said.

Kate was taking this far more seriously. Some trainers waited weeks, months, of exploring and training and capturing monsters, Kate had her own secret advantage though. And she had every intention of practising using it so when the time came she could use it against the people who were chasing Henry and had killed SubjectA5.

This meant she had to cheat in League fights. But she had no intention of being the "Champion." They always became famous. Even the rounds leading up to deciding the Champion of the year were televised all over Kanto. Including names and faces.

Kate had no intention to be famous, which made her feel better about the cheating. Kiyo was going to go differently than Ron. Mimir was as experienced as she was old and outclassed the Arbok without breaking a sweat. Kate did not need to listen to Ron then.

She was going to listen now. Something she had come up with today, to do during a fight. If it was known it would clearly be cheating. But Kate was always more interested in meeting monsters than making them fight. For her, fighting meant getting away and survival. She was more interested in meeting monsters than being seen to be the best.

Kate set her feet. Looking over Abbie and Mimir's heads. Charlie shared the modular step with her on all four paws, watching the other two monsters intently.

Kiyo grinned again and released his first.

A new monster came out of the pocket-ball. Punching it's fists that looked to be shaped like boxing gloves.

"Hiyaa!" It punched the air again and danced from foot to foot in front of Kiyo.

Abbie? Ready?

In a moment. I am making sure we are not being watched.

They were being watched, by the other students and monsters on the step-up stage in the back. But Kate knew what she meant. "Mimir, Go!"

Mimir twisted in place and glared up at Kate.

Kate, more resolved than even a few years ago, stared back and held her gaze.

Mimir looked away first and sniffed again. Though she did proceed forward, ready to fight.

Kate spread-out, finding that Kiyo was like a tight knot, ready to spring into action, which was at odds with his lackadaisical demeanor. Though what he was about to do was seeping out of the knot right before he said it aloud.

Abbie was still feeding Kate some of Mimir's moves though it was atleast fast.

"Mimir, Agility, get around him!"

Kiyo was right on top of Kate "Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!"

Mimir twisted around Himonchan, picking up in speed and twisting just out of reach of the punch. Without that, Hitmonchan would beat her for speed, but the difference was little enough that Agility made all the difference.

"Twister! Watch the pillars!" If Mimir missed, the little spiral of wind would keep going a little ways until it hit something and they were all indoors.

Again Kiyo called right on top of Kate, "Ah-ha! Agility!"

Hitmonchean sped up himself and caught up to Mimir, long enough to get a mini-twister in the face.

It was strange, like Kate was a move ahead of Kiyo, but to his perception they were neck and neck, him calling a move just as she was. Her 'cheat' was a split second ahead and it made all the difference.

"Slam him while he's close!" Kate shouted as the bit of wind died down.

At the same time Kiyo called out, "Vacuum Wave!"

Hitmonchan connected first, finding a burst of speed right before Mimir Slammed bodily into him. The double recoil looked like a spring bouncing off a mirror of itself.

Mimir shook her head, looking a little worse for wear.

Across from her, hitmonchan seemed to vibrate, on the edge of action and on his feet.

Whilte Mimir gave Kate a look for letting her get hit by something, Kate realized than Hitmonchan was paralyzed and upright.

"Mimir, Dragon Rage! Dragon Rage!" Kate tried a command of her own this time. According to Abbie, Mimir was going to continue to laze around, giving Hitmonchan more time to recover.

"Feint" and "Vacuum Wave" Were called by Kiyo, trying to call out the next moves in case Hitmonchan recovered, but not yet.

Mimir danced around Hitmonchan, hitting him in the proscribed pattern in the dance. But only once, she was smart enough to tell that Kate wanted her to use it over and over.

Kate felt Kiyo see the paralysis shrugging off, giving him time to form a new command.

Kate got there first, "Mimir! Behind you!"

"Mach Punch! Now!"

Mimir disdainfully looked behind her as the train that was Hitmonchan bowled into her with a fierce punch.

Mimir cried out on real pain and turned to him, ruffling the air with her move. The static-y ruffle slammed into Hitmonchan full in the chest. Satisfied with herself when she paralyzed her again.

Thunder Wave is what she just used. Abbie informed her what Mimir had used on her own. There was still a ways to go between Kate and the Dratini.

Kate nodded slightly to Abbie, keeping silent in every way so she could put her full attention to whatever would seep out of that tight knot that was Kiyo's mind.

_There_! "Mimir, Twister. It's you're best move." Or atleast the most effective she had seen so far.

"Continue Hitmonchan!" Kiyo meant Mach Punch and was understood by his monster as far as Kate could tell but he was Paralyzed again.

Hitmonchan had no idea better than anyone else how long it would last, so Kate had no idea. She could only try to communicate moves as best as she could to Mimir and hope. And be ready for the less than second she had to react on top of Kiyo noticed the paralysis fading.

Kate tried to get Mimir to throw Twister after Twister at Hitmonchan, while they had the chance. Mimir wanted to drag this out though and have more fun than be efficient. She could tell that Kiyo was not going to drag this fight out.

Mimir slithered around Hitmonchan and wrapped her body around him in a tight Wrap, also one of her moves, before Hitmonchan could shrug off the Thunder Wave. She squeezed and squeezed, pumping loose and tight again in turns, she wanted him to feel pain for all the hurt he had inflicted on her.

Mimir and Hitmonchan were evenly matched. Sometimes, she did what Kate told her. Sometimes she did her own thing and sometimes that was actually effective against what Hitmonchan was using. Even with Kate using her 'cheat' she barely kept pace and was never really ahead of Kiyo.

But this round was won, for Mimir and Kate. Hitmonchan slipped a glove along her flank twice before giving up entirely. Bashed and wind-blown, Hitmonchan was lowered to the ground. Mimir did not push the fight and released her Wrap. Standing over him and throwing a challenging stare at Kiyo and returned to Kate's side.

The way two monster duels went. The first picks fought on until the monster was unable to fight further or the trainer decided it should not fight further. Then the second pick went out. Until one of the trainers ran out of monsters they could or would fight with.

Mimir had other ideas. She made a line for the stand Kate was on, and curled up to sleep. Which was on the other side of the stand from where Charlie was standing next to Kate's legs.

"Mimir! Get out there. Please! Get back on the other side of the line!

"...and ten. Mimir is no longer able to battle."

Mimir ignored all the conversation and was snoring gently right away.

Unconcious or not, a monster that left the melee area for longer than a count of ten was considered out of the fight. Some moves were only effective if launched from outside the area and a slow count of ten was more than long enough to do so.

A small part of Kate felt better though. Mimir was hurt and she did not want the monster hurt further. Kate thought that if she had recalled Mimir, the monster would get a bruised pride. She had not wanted the first round to end this way, but in some ways Mimir did what Kate wished anyway.

"Abbie." She called out Abbie's name before thinking. After the fierce fight with Mimir, she was out of the habit of speaking mind to mind for a moment. Are you ready?

Yes.

Kiyo was whispering instruction to one of the students, part of a pair of that had Hitmonchan on a stretcher. Hitmonchan had raised a glove in the air, from laying on the pallet. Satisfied, Kiyo waved the pair to take the monster to the side, Hitmonchan was strong enough he could wait a minute or two until the fight was over. Kiyo was going to take his monster himself.

The whole fight between Mimir and Hitmonchan had not lasted as long at Kate had felt. Less than two or three minutes by the clock, it had felt an hour while she waited in seconds and fractions of seconds for words to seep out of Kiyo's mind.

Abbie stepped into the lines as Himonchan was settled behind Kiyo and the pillars. Kiyo sent out his second.

Where the first mosnter had a swept back frill, thin legs and large fists, this on had a head with no neck, eyes with no mouth and long legs. The legs were a bit thicker than Hitmonchan, not as much as Kiyo's though. They had larger clawed feet as well. Where Hitmonchan was built like a slight boxer, this one was built for a kicker. Both had fast foot work but this one seemed to have even better balance and speed.

Abbbie bowed like the students and monsters earlier. This one bowed in turn. Both put their hand together. Abbie with her clawed-hands flat and palms together, more meditative and peaceful. The other with a hand wrapped over a fist, like the students and monster of this Gym.

Kiyo looked at Kate and gave a nod which she returned.

This was not at all like the matches she had seen on television. There was usually a referee, sometimes with flags, overseeing. One of the students had stepped forward to do the ten-count and still waited by the side in case he was needed again.

Kate understood how the rules were to go and so was Kiyo. Kate listened to Kiyo for the forms she had never done before, things she picked up right away or from him. They were following the same steps, some words were not needed. They only fought as if they had done this dozens of times before.

Kiyo was happy to go this way and Kate merely followed and kept pace when she could and tried to get ahead whenever it was possible.

For now, the fight was about to start. Abbie stood again, with her palms still together and her claws pointed to the ceiling.

The other monster took a stance with one leg forward and one leg back, arms out and elbows bent.

It was beginning.

Kate brought her hands together and threw back her shoulders. I know what you can do, let me be your look out. Kate was beginning to think that she was the only one that could not talk to Mimir, but she could listen to Kiyo for now, on Abbie's behalf.

Abbie gave a small nod, and waited to listen.

Kiyo was taking a defense pattern to start this time, Kate still gave split-second recaps of what he was about to ask and Kate let Abbie do what she did first. Act before thought or before Kate could tell her to do something else.

"Hitmonlee, Meditate." Kiyo was not opening offensively, per haps he thought this Abra was one of, well most of them, that knew no attack forms.

Kate was not sure, only that he was going to wait this out.

Abbie remained still, doing nothing.

Kiyo waited for Hitmonlee to have the time he needed to improve itself with Meditate. "Focus!"

Kate was familiar with the name of that move, Focus Energy, though she was not sure what it did. Watching televised battle after battle at home, when she was not sleeping, was paying off somewhat.

Hitmonlee took another meditative pose, holding his hands and legs stiffly, otherwise, it did nothing.

Abbie stood across from Hitmonlee, waiting for something.

Kate did not argue the point, she never really argued with Abbie anymore. When Abbie decided on something without discussing with Kate it was because there was no discussion necessary about it. Kate would no doubt ask later about why the fight was going this way. But even with a conversation taking the place of moments for them, Kate did not want to intrude when everything depended on fractions of a second.

Kiyo smiled, just a little, he spoke and thought as one "Jump Kick, form 6"

Kate listened to every word and all the form was to Kiyo were two words he knew as well as Hitmonlee did. That meant that Kiyo did run through the routine in his mind except to admire that Hitmonlee followed the pattern exactly. "Teleport?"

Abbie was already teleporting out of the way of the first kick easily. Appearing behind Hitmonlee, sje had to teleport again immediately as it went into a routine of kicks and steps that picked up speed to follow Abbie moving around.

Kiyo was no help to Kate, he merely knew that he knew the kata and only felt that Hitmonlee was performing it correctly, not imagining what the next move would be. Abbie was moving out of the way too quickly to even respond to Kate telling her this.

Kate gasped as Abbie was grazed by a clawed foot from Hitmonlee, throwing her to the other end of the arena. "No, no!" as Abbie flew toward the end of the arena and the boundary line.

One of the watching students stepped back and gasped as Abbie fell toward him, teleporting before she went over the line in the floor and reappearing far behind Hitmonlee in the other half of the lined part of floor.

Zzzzzzzaaa- Abbie reappeared on the spot, but she was not done. It was like she had come half-way through. Still glowing with the flash from moving. She also had disappeared from Kate's mind, as if she had gone very far away or inside the pocket-ball.

For the first time in a long time, Kate was not sure what to think.

-End of Chapter 14


	15. Chapter 15 Ch-Ch-Changes

**Chapter 15 - Ch-Ch-Changes**

Kate was not sure what was wrong with Abbie and noticed Kiyo was trying to catch her eye as Hitmonlee squared-off with anticipation.

In his surprise, Kiyo's mind let something get loose enough for Kate. _What are the chances of that? Should I?_

Kate shook her head at Kiyo's questioning face. _Do not interupt this_ She should have realized this sooner.

Abbie was evolving.

In the time it took Kate and Kiyo to have the exchange and say nothing, Abbie finished her change.

Longer limbs, taller proportions, Abbie seemed to grow-up in form instantly. Eyes open with a very slight mustache-like bit of fur on her face, males had far longer ones. More mature-looking, Abbie was now inches taller than Hitmonlee and turned her fully open eyes his way.

Hitmonlee did not even flinch and Kiyo tried to end this. "Hi Kick!"

Abbie was waiting for Hitmonlee, her more superior speed allowed her to just step out of the way and not attack, waiting.

Hitmonlee crashed to the ground, sounding like there should be a dent in the floor where he landed. There was not, but Hitmonlee was definitely harmed by missing.

Abbie was still, only twitching the clawed-fingers of one hand as if wanting to hold something. She turned around to look at Hitmonlee, just to look. Kate had felt Abbie in her mind as soon as the evolution finished, she spoke to Kate to give the trainer time to say the word, to keep up appearing to command her monsters.

"Confusion."

Abbie and Hitmonlee locked eyes, Abbie casting her claws out toward him as the air seemed to bend and ripple slightly between the two monsters.

Hitmonlee knocked back, like being physically hit, and keeled backwards to land on it's back on the arena floor. It did not stand.

Charlie made a triumphant growl at Kate's feet.

"Good match, little one!" t was not long before Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were recalled and Kiyo prepared to go to the Center.

"Thank you. It's good practise." Kate honestly had not fought that much. She did not count the ones in Viridian, where Abbie could only struggle to fight the other monsters to no avail. This one went much better, would go much better.

Kiyo laughed out loud at 'practise.' "Ah-haha, practise, yes. Everything is practise. Winning is practise, do not forget that, many people do." After giving Hitmonlee one last check, he recalled his monster to a pocket-ball. Making sure they were both stable and just unconscious before recalling.

Kate nodded and hopped down from the stand. She looked at Abbie and Abbie looked back. Kate smiled a little, feeling the warmth and pride coming from Abbie. Abbie was not trying to play it off, like she always knew it would turn out this way.

Abbie could tell she was close to that point here she would have her first chrystalis as a monster. As a member of the Psi species, Abbie would evolve one more time. Though not all evolutions were triggered by time like this one was. Kate had no idea how it would happen again for Abbie.

But for now, Abbie was a little bigger and a little stronger. And taller.

Abbie, you're taller than me. How did that happen?

I grew big and strong, yes? So why not bigger and stronger. Abbie simply walked over to where Mimir, Charlie and Kate were.

If this keeps up, I'll never be taller than you again!

Abbie responded with the equivalent of a mental smile. Teasing about Kate's height only gently.

"Well," Kiyo had something in his hand, she had not noticed where he got it from while Kate was talking to Abbie. "Little one, you said you have never fought a gym leader before?"

Kate shook her head, before she withdrew from Kiyo completely, she had a jolt. _This is what it had all been about. I must be very absent minded today._

There is a while world around you, real physical things, do not let thoughts distract from that too much. There is danger there. both the danger of distraction, and the distraction causing real danger to be missed, Abbie was reminding Kate.

"Yes, Sensei Kiyo. I have battled before, but not that much."

Kiyo smiled, went down on one knee and pressed the pin into her hand. "One of my students will register your Index. But you can hold this, for now and always. I am defeated." Kiyo still smiled throughout the whole thing. He had tried very hard to fight her with his monsters and lost. And did not feel bad.

"Where will you be heading next, uh, little one seems too young for you. What is your name?"

Emma. Do not reminded Kate.

She had and did not stumble on her real name because of it. "Emma. And I will not be heading out and about yet. My family lives here, that's why I have not been on the road, capturing monsters and fighting trainers all the time."

Kiyo tilted his head, like he was appraising her. "You are trainer age then. You look young but I see it in your eyes, Emma. You could be a good student here. Are these three your only monsters?"

Kate nodded, "My only three, and I won't be eleven for much longer." It was less than five weeks away now, her twelfth birthday.

Kiyo nodded, mostly to himself. "Have you trained, yourself I mean, any fighting arts schools?"

Kate shook her head. She had no weapons or martial training whatsoever.

"Kiyo smiled deeply, "That is good then."

"Wait," Kate was puzzled and not scanning Kiyo's mind. "How is that good?"

"Because," Kiyo stood and touched her shoulder, "Then you have nothing to unlearn before I can teach you. You will make a good student, yes?"

"You want to teach me? Now?"

"You will be in town for a while. And not just you, your monsters. I have been developing Monsuta-do for a long time. All of my students use fighting-type-species of monsters. But you would make a good student, yes?" He waved out his hand, to take in all his students and Kate's monsters.

Kate was unsure how a human fighting school would teach Mimir anything, a six-foot monster with half her height upright like standing. Charlie was to small for his balance for kicking to be any good too.

"Are you sure? How much would my family have to pay?" Kate knew that normal education was part of taxes, anything anyone wanted to do after school or at a gym like this was not cheap. Training under gym leaders for monster battling was entirely different from Kate learning something herself at a fighting school, even in a League Gym.

"Ah, but I will not always be the master and you will not always be the student. I want to learn from you."

"What could I have that you would want to learn?" She did not say the one thing that came to mind. That was between Abbie and herself. Technically Charlie and Mimir, whenever Mimir would be more talkative.

"We will see." Kiyo turned to Kate. They had walked their way to the door. The students kept watching them. Not talking top their Sensei unless he spoke to them.

One of the students came running over with the 'Dex in his hand. Earning a nod from Kiyo, neither Kiyo nor the student commented on it as he handed Kate her 'Dex back.

Kate considered Peter, some days going out with Harriet, some days not. Henry at work over the computer and his valuable printouts. "I am not sure the next time I can get back here. But if you want to teach me. . ."

"Of course. Please do not wait too long though. And bring your monsters too, as a group you should be of one mind and one action. Monsuta-do is about teamwork and coordination of the monsters and their trainer."

"Okay, thank you very much . . . Sensei."

Kiyo smiled from ear to ear at that and bowed to Kate before she left.

Kate bowed back and placed her 'Dex in her pocket. She caught the blank look from the student that had handed it to her. Not liking the look in his eyes she felt him out for a moment. Kate was spiked with jealousy and envy before withdrawing. Whoever the man was, kid? He was at least four or five years older than her. But everyone was entitled to their feelings and Kate would not hold them against him unless it could become more than that.

Noted. Abbie was making a note of it, in case later came.

Kate gave 'Sensei' a wave as she left. Watching Kiyo watching her leave, with his one student at the door.

Leaving the Gym, Kate nearly bumped into a man standing by the door.

He was wearing a blue suit with a red shirt, glasses and dark hair with a few white hairs mixed in.

"Oh, sorry I didn't see you." He apologized even though Kate had almost bumped him. His coffee had not spilled from the encounter.

"S'okay."

"Hey, kid, did you just fight the Gym leader?"

"Yeah, I got my first badge."

"Great job, kid!" He patted Kate on the back before she went on her way.

The guy remained outside the Gym door, sipping his coffee.

Kate checked the time in her 'Dex. She still had over tthree hours before dinner. Abbie, let's go now. I do not want to cut it too close.

Abbie, who had gone form her Abra to Kadabra monster form all in one day, with her longer arms took in Charlie and Mimir and made room for Kate to get close. It would take a few teleports to get all the way back home, so Kate wanted to get started and spend less time outside than necessary.

"ZZZZap!"

Josh rubbed his eyes, it was still there. The next bend of the cave had a glow from the sun outside. "We made it Dino!"

"Aah ah ah!" His bulbasaur, Dino, was happy as well.

Josh had managed to avoid enough of the Zubats and navigate the insides of Mount Moon to the other side.

Standing in the sunlight, he rubbed his eyes again, to get used to the change in light. From here was the down-slope to Cerulean City. He could see the trees part around the city limits.

"Just a little further Dino. But at least it's all outside now."

Dino growled with what Josh had figured to be satisfaction. Josh patted the bag that had his five other monsters. He was still trying to figure out what the giant fish did, the man that had sold it too him had gone on and on about how strong and rare it was.

Now that he was in the lowlands of Mount Moon the daytime wind was warm, compared to the biting winds on the heights of the mountain. The nights would be warmer, but Josh did not want to spend one more night in the cold, he had honed his fire-making skills in the trip.

In the southern cities he had heard that the nights were warmer than some days here. Kanto seemed balanced on the edge between temperate and sub-tropical weather. Cerulean City and Mount Moon would have winter in a few more months. But Fuscia in the south would only get snow for a cold snap, a snowy cold snap that would melt away in a day or so.

Josh counted his pocket-balls again. Out of habit, he liked to be sure that his monsters, including the ones captured on the mountain, were there waiting for him to call them. Josh had gotten used to leaving Dino out, though. Even before coming to Mount Moon, he did not feel so alone.

He hoped Kate had woken-up by now, though it was unlikely, with no phone he had no way of being contacted by Kate and if he had acquired one while Kate was in the coma she would not know his number. He could still ask when he called him mom after getting into the city.

The rest of his monsters were resting from the journey, surely it was warmer inside than outside. Some of them had been battered around by the constant swarming of Zubats inside the cave. Other things did not stir unless tripped on. Like the Geodude he now had in his pocket, Dino had helped with that one.

Now, Josh had no thought of recalling Dino unless he was forced to carry the monster. Dino was a constant companion, someone he could talk to or have nearby. Or simply be present during those cold nights so he was not miserable and alone. Having someone around made everything less miserable. It would have been better if Kate was there though.

Josh and Kate had grown-up together and had planned on doing this together. Her guardian had not allowed him to visit Kate in the hospital, saying Kate did not want it. He had never believed it, still did not. He had seen something the size and colour of an Abra in one of the windows. Surely not many patients would have a monster loose in the room, watching out the window as Josh and Dino had left the building.

Josh journeyed on, while he was still of age to follow tradition. He would go on, waiting for her to wake-up. He would have many stories to tell about what he had done while she was asleep. The more he travelled the more he could tell her when they were together again.

For now, he walked undisturbed to Cerulean City. Aside him was Dino, a seed-species with green skin on four legs, with the giant closed flower-bulb on his back he was less than half Josh's height. Dino was enjoying the sun very much, the bulb on it's back was not just for appearances. It was really plant-like and was taking in every second of sun it could now that it was out of the cave.

Between the caves in the mountain, the high grasses on the hill side under Mount Moon and the thin trees around the city, Josh had this part of hit journey well in hand. He had already hammered out the stories of getting lost in the Viridian Forest, the one with the museum fossils and his first Gym Badge, the trainers on the climb to Mount Moon, the strange lights at night. He spent the walk to the City working out the details of fire-making his first night in the Mountain.

They would be good stories and he would tell them to Kate as many times as she would let him. Picking up his pace on the down slope, he wanted to get to Cerulean as soon as he could manage to ask his mother how Kate was doing.

Kate hid her shoes under the bed, she could put them by the door later. The bedroom door was still closed, the clock-radio was now playing music again after the trainer series was over, it must have ended half an hour ago.

The battles had felt like hours, though only a few minutes had passed for each. She had walked around downtown for much longer and was still gone an hour and a half according to the clock.

Mimir settled on her cushion, Charlie climbed onto a stool so he could get on the bed and curled up. Abbie was by the window, waiting.

Kate cracked the door, with the clock saying she had not been gone long, she hoped that she had not been noticed.

In the other room, she heard the computer making noises again as Henry scanned the last bit of documents. He was sorting and organizing the papers as he waited for the next page to scan.

Kate closed her eyes to listen, though the next nearest people were on the lower floor. Peter and Harriet were not back from Harriet's doctor or activity session, or combination of both, Kate had not pried and stayed away from the subject in conversation after the last dream he had had of her grandmother. Harriet was sick but Kate was afraid that there were no doctors or counsellors that could help her.

Kate turned around to look at the bedroom. Her backpack was on the chair where she kept it. Charlie was settling down for a nap, so was Mimir. She caught a look from Mimir before the monster closed her eyes. Mimir had been injured somewhat and Kate would have to address that as soon as she could.

Abbie remained by the window and Kate goggled her eyes at her friend. Abbie had evolved, there was no hiding that. Her dad would notice that for sure.

Something in her memory pulled, someone had been researching if time alone could evolve a monster. He had had no sure answer. Living a long life was not so simple as time or a monster could evolved if kept in a pocket ball all it's life. But the time Abbie had spent with Kate could do it. Between her fake guardian Hilda, all the running it could work.

"Dad! Dad, look!" Kate ran out to the computer. Sounding excited, not fearful and scare Henry.

Henry startled and nearly dropped the papers he was holding anyway. "What? I'm busy Kate can't you see that?"

"Come on, it's Abbie, she's evolving!"

Henry waited to put down the papers neatly then was dragged long by Kate into her room. "Really?"

In the time it took Kate to get her dad to see, Abbie had evolved in the Gym, it had felt like longer but clocks don't lie. So when Kate and Henry walked through the doorway Abbie was still standing by the window, able to look Henry in the eye in her new form.

"Hey, that's great Kate. I'm glad." _At least something good is coming of this trip. If only it stayed this way._

Kate pulled away and made a shield, feeling the negativity of Henry's mood despite him being legitimately glad for Kate and Abbie.

You must weather it, become used to it. If you run away from other people's thoughts they will crush you when you do listen.

Kate saw the images with Abbie's words, following Kate pulling into herself at Henry's thought. She saw a rock in a river rapid, surrounded by water, water flowing over the rock constantly and still remained in the water.

Henry hugged Kate close. "I'm glad." He was smiling for the first time in a while. Scanning the documents had put him in a mood. And seeing Abbie's new form had given him a break from it.

"Go finish dad, it's okay."

"I'll be starting on dinner once I'm done with the computer. The least I can do while we're here. And you can do the dishes."

"Yes, dad." Kate smiled back. She had no idea how long this peace would last, the not running. With Abbie doing what she did best, sensing danger and teleporting, and talking with Kate they should have time to get out again.

They would have to leave her grandparents eventually, hopefully it was when Henry was ready to leave Saffron and not when _they_ had found Henry again.

-End of Chapter 15


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